Gladiolus are easy to grow and hardy, these bulbs will give you a ton of enjoyment if you treat them right. Use these tips for growing gladiolus to add a splash of color to your yard.
Gladiolus are a beautiful addition to any flower bed. With vibrant colors available and a taller stem, they are perfect for back edges of a garden or a pop of color against your home. I often order flower bulbs online at lower costs and am able to find unique varieties my local nursery may not carry. Whether you buy your gladiolus bulbs online or grab them in a local nursery, these Tips for Growing Gladiolus are just what you need to begin your flower bed this year.
Tips for Growing Gladiolus
Plant in late spring or early summer.
Unlike many other flowers, gladiolus bulbs should be put into the ground in early summer. It really is all about keeping the gladiolus flowers in bloom for the longest periods possible. Plant them in rows and try to plant them a week per row apart. Growing them in rows will also minimize the amount of staking you need to do for such a tall flower.
Make sure you plant your gladiolus bulbs before mid-summer. While the are able to survive the winter, they must be well established, rooted, and sturdy to do so. This gives them plenty of time to be safely into the ground before the cold hits.
Gladiolus need full sun and well-drained soil.
Make sure you plant the bulbs in bright sunlight. Gladiolus bulbs do not do well in shady areas. Against the front of your home, or out in an open flower bed are the best spots that allow the most direct sunlight.
Gladiolus bulbs should be planted in light soil that is sandy to help drain excess water. Like all bulb flowers, an excessively wet soil is the enemy. Placing sand in with your soil is an easy way to make sure your bulbs don’t get waterlogged if you live in a rainy area.
When you fertilize the soil around your gladiolus bulbs, make sure to mix it well. Fertilizer applied directly onto plants or bulbs can easily burn the plants and render them useless.
More Tips for Growing Gladiolus
Protect your gladiolus from rodents because they love to eat the roots. One method of doing so is to add in some daffodil plants. Rodents hate daffodil plants and they are quite beautiful and the foliage that remains after the daffodils are done blooming blends nicely with the gladiolus visually.
Because gladiolus plants grow quite large, make sure you stake them to keep the flowers from drooping. Tomato stakes or cages are a great choice, but simple wooden stakes throughout the garden are easy to tie your plants to and prevent drooping flowers.
I love the addition of gladiolus in my garden. These vibrantly colored plants are ideal for adding depth and height to a flower bed along with all of your other favorite landscape bulbs. Leave them outside for amazing colors in your garden, or clip them to arrange for a beautiful indoor vase.
More Flower Gardening Tips:
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How To Care For And Clean Your Flower Pots
Organic Gardening Tips Anyone Can Afford
10 Inspirational Quotes All About Gardening
7 Common Gardening Mistakes You Might Be Making
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Bonnie says
Do you dig them up after they bloom and replant the next year?
Jess says
I just read that you do pull the bulbs out of the ground and store in an onion or potato sack so they can properly dry out. Replant late spring early summer.