Propagation
Sow fresh seed from autumn to spring in pots. Cormlets will produce flowers in 2 years.

The corms are lifted 4 to 6 weeks after flowering, cleaned of soil, leaves and the shrunken corm is dusted then stored. Plant out 150mm (6in) apart at a depth of 140mm (5in).

Note:
Cut the flowers during the morning before the blooms open with a long stem. Place in fresh water and trim the base of the stem daily so that all the blooms will openover an eight-day period.New hybrids carry up to 25 to 30 flowers per spike.


Botanic information
Leaf: The long lanceolate to linear leaves are arranged in a fan-shape at the base clasping the stem. The apex is acuminate and the leaves appear from pronounced buds on the corm.

Flower: There are 25 to 30 funnelform flowers arranged in opposite pairs that sometimes overlap. In the hybrids the flower sizes range from giants to miniatures and they have a colour range from red, pink to white with no blues and appear during early summer.

Fruit: The fruit is a 3-celled capsule that contains seeds that grow in to plants with variable flowers and may become a weed under ideal conditions. It is normally propagated vegetatively from corms or cormlets to keep true to type.

Gladiolus hybridsare tender plants and are grown from spring to autumn. The corms persist in cold climates if mulched or lifted and stored in a cool dry place.

Thesoilshould contain well-rotted manure or compost well before planting the corms. It must be well drained and benefits from raised garden beds. During spring to summer the soil should be kept moist but in winter keep the soil drier.
When planting strong corms, deeper is better 150mm (6in) as the plant will be more stable.