Planting Gladiolas
My Bedford, New York farm is buzzing with activity this season - my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been busy weeding, mulching, and planting - everything is looking so pretty.
Last week, Ryan and Gavin planted eight rows of gladiolas in an area behind my main greenhouse that was previously used for tulips and pumpkins. Gladiolus is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the iris family. The plants produce impressive pointed stems with attractive funnel-shaped flowers that open from the base to the top. Our gladiolas came from Brent and Becky’s - a 28-acre family farm in Gloucester, Virginia that produces a wide variety of bulbs, seeds, perennials and more. I've been a fan of Brent and Becky's for many years - they've been on my television shows sharing their wealth of gardening tips, and Brent has also visited my farm.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Our bulbs arrived in these netted sacks. Bulbs need to be packaged very carefully to ensure they are kept in the best conditions during transport. If they cannot be planted promptly, store them in a dark, dry location with good air circulation and temperatures averaging about 50 to 65-degrees Fahrenheit. Our NYBG intern, Zoe, labeled metal markers to be placed in the garden with each cultivar.
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- I wanted the rows of flowers to be straight. Gavin marks the rows with gardener’s twine as a guide, so he could dig long trenches for the bulbs.
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- He stretches twine from one end to the other. This soil is already very rich in organic compost made right here at my farm.
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- Gavin then digs the trenches under the twine using a hoe. All the dirt removed from each trench is pushed to one side and reserved for backfill after all the gladiolas are planted.
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- The trenches run the width of each bed – about 31-feet. They are also about six to eight inches deep.
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- Ryan inserts one marker at the head of each row for easy identification.
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- The rows are about a foot apart to include narrow footpaths. Footpaths are important in a cutting garden, so all the flowers can be accessed easily.
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- Ryan starts placing the gladiola bulbs in the trenches. As a rule of thumb, bulbs should be planted about three times their actual height.
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- Ryan nestles each one so that it is secure in the soil – this ensures the bulbs do not move when they’re buried.
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- As with planting any bulb, Ryan places each one with the pointed end faced up. If the pointed end is not obvious, look for the flat side, which is the bottom. These are planted about eight to 10 inches apart.
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- Here you can see exactly which is the top and which s the bottom. The term “bulb” typically refers to a specialized group of perennial plants that re-appear year after year. Bulbs can be broken down into five types of storage structures, including true bulbs, corms, tubers, tuberous roots, and rhizomes. The “true bulb” has five major parts – the basal plate, fleshy storage scales, tunic, the shoot, and lateral buds, which develop into offsets. A gladiola is actually a “corm”, with a swollen stem base that is modified into a mass of storage tissue with no visible storage rings.
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- The varieties planted include this one – ‘Zizanie’, cherry red flowers with whipped cream white. When mature, gladiolas are about 18-inches to 36-inches tall. (Photo courtesy of Brent and Becky’s)
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- ‘Frizzled Coral Lace’ is an appropriate name with its unusual form around the edges of each floret. It has coral salmon colors with a creamy heart and lacy edges. Glads grow well in most soil types without added fertilizer, but they need good drainage, full sun, and good air circulation. (Photo courtesy of Brent and Becky’s)
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- ‘Morning Gold’ has golden butterscotch flames and ridges. Gladiolas come in gorgeous colors, ranging from yellow, white, pink and lavender, to rose, burgundy, purple and even green. (Photo courtesy of Brent and Becky’s)
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- This is ‘Green Star’ – almost lime green with a bit of lemon around the edges. (Photo courtesy of Brent and Becky’s)
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- This one provides an explosion of color in the garden. It is called ‘Dynamite’ and has purple flowers with creamy yellow throats. (Photo courtesy of Brent and Becky’s)
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- Gladiolus ‘Costa’ is pale to dark blue fading to white. The blooms also have a bit of a ruffle around the edges. Gladiolas begin blooming in late summer when many other flowers are starting to fade. Their flower spikes stand tall among other plants, adding both color and vertical interest in the garden. (Photo courtesy of Brent and Becky’s)
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- ‘Violetta’ has rich royal purple flowers with tiny white veins in the center of each petal. (Photo courtesy of Brent and Becky’s)
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- And ‘My Love’ is white with reddish-burgundy stripes, lines, and dots around the edges. (Photo courtesy of Brent and Becky’s)
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- Ryan places all the corms before backfilling – doing this in an assembly line process is faster and more efficient – especially when planting hundreds.
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- Gavin backfills all the trenches with the hoe. He also goes over the bed with a soft rake to ensure every corm is well covered and the area looks neat and tidy.
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- Here is the finished bed all planted. It will take 70 to 90 days from planting until flowering. I am looking forward to seeing these flowers in bloom. What gladiolas are in your garden? Share your comments below.
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