Gladioli: tips for planting, pruning & care

Gladioli are a real eye-catcher both in the vase and in the garden. We have valuable tips on the gladiolus.

Gladioli (Gladiolus) are a real eye-catcher in summer and appear in the most unusual colours. As gladioli grown in this country, the colourful garden gladioli (Gladiolus x hortulanus) are especially popular. A distinctive feature of the fancy flower in its natural environment is that it survives in the soil as a bulb and resprouts from year to year. However, to bring the cold-sensitive gladiolus through the winter, proper care is required. We show how to grow your own gladioli in the garden and how to properly care for them.

Gladioli: distribution and flowering time

Gladioli are often planted in this country, but their original home is in warmer climates. The plant is native between the Mediterranean and southern Africa with about 250 species and appears in a wide variety of colours. The plants are known for their showy and beautiful flowers, which appear at different times depending on the species and variety. The flowering time of early-flowering gladioli is in June, and late-flowering specimens may well take until September.

Are gladioli poisonous?

With the striking appearance, many people wonder if the gladiolus is perhaps poisonous. In fact, the plant is non-toxic in all parts and can even be partially consumed. The young flowers in particular are considered particularly aromatic.

Planting gladioli

With the heat-loving gladioli, a few tips are needed to ensure that planting goes well. We show what you need to pay attention to.

When to plant gladioli?

Gladioli are extremely sensitive to cold and can be planted in the garden from April at the earliest. In harsher areas, you should even do the planting from May to June to avoid the last frosts. In very mild regions, on the other hand, gladioli can be planted in the autumn, so that they sprout the following spring.

How deep to plant?

Proper planting depth is important for a quick start to growth, so never plant gladiolus bulbs too deep. In general, the top part of the bulb should always look out of the ground when planting, planting depth of 10-15 cm has proven successful. When planting, it is always important that the larger part of the bulb is at the bottom, because from there the roots are formed.

These points should be considered when planting gladioli:

• Planting time in harsher areas May – June
• In mild areas either autumn or from April
• Planting depth 10 – 15 cm; tip must poke out of the ground

Are gladioli hardy?

Due to their warm place of origin, the majority of gladiolus species and varieties are not adapted to withstand ground frost in winter. Frost in this country would damage the bulbs so much that, unfortunately, they would not grow again. More about overwintering gladioli can be found here.

Dig up bulbs again in autumn/winter

Although it would be easier to leave the bulbs in the ground over the winter, digging them up is the only option to ensure they will sprout and bloom again the following year. First, cut off the withered foliage a bit above the base and carefully dig up the bulbs before the first frosts in the autumn. The bulbs should be stored in a cool but frost-free and dry place. Temperatures above 15 °C should be avoided at all costs to prevent sprouting too early.

Caring for gladioli

Overall, the care required for the flowers is manageable and is limited to regular watering and a few other measures. We show you what else you should bear in mind when caring for gladioli.

Watering and fertilising

Always water gladioli as needed. Depending on the heat, the water requirement can also be quite high. In midsummer, daily watering is worthwhile as the soil dries out quickly. Always be careful not to completely flood the soil with water, as this attractive plant does not tolerate waterlogging well. For optimal growth, the supply of sufficient nutrients is also useful. Work proper compost or a plant-based fertiliser such as our Plantura Flower Food into the soil before planting the bulbs.

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Pruning gladioli: remove wilted flowers and leaves

When cutting gladiolus, the following applies: first wait until the flowers and flower stalks are completely withered before applying the scissors. As a rule, do not cut off all the greenery of the plant before the autumn, so that it can still continue to store energy in the bulb. Pruning of the complete stems and leaves can be done for overwintering before the first frosts.

When caring for gladioli, pay attention to the following points:

• Water as needed, do not let the soil dry out completely
• Do not over water
• Mix in compost as fertiliser before planting
• Cut only when flower stems are withered and wilted

Gladioli in the vase

In addition to cutting the plants after flowering, gladioli are often cut as cut flowers. We show what you should pay attention to, if the gladiolus is to be a decorative flower on the table.

Cutting gladioli for the vase

Gladiolus should always be cut before all the flowers on the stem have opened. This allows you to enjoy the abundant flowering for a few more days. As cut flowers, gladioli are ideally cut in the morning, never removing all the flower stems from a plant.

Caring for gladioli in the vase

In order for gladioli to last as long as possible, the freshly cut flowers should always be immediately placed in a vase with water. Cut the bottom of the stems every few days and change the water from time to time to extend the life of the flowers. In addition, it has proven useful to cut off flowers that have bloomed off, so that flowers on top also open. More information on the proper care of gladioli in the vase can be found here.

Gladioli are true sun worshippers among flowers. More plants for full sun can be found in this article.