Gladioli (50 photos) - types, proper care and cultivation

Gladiolus has long been considered the flower of warriors. From ancient chronicles it is known that gladiators wore its corm in a hair follicle on their chest as a talisman. And now there is an opinion that a gladiolus planted near a house will protect all household members from damage, the evil eye, misfortune and dashing people.

Flower growers from different countries prefer this sophisticated and beautiful plant. Today, more than 180 thousand varieties are known with large (up to 15 cm in diameter) flowers, forming a huge inflorescence (up to 32 buds on each sword-shaped stem) of all unimaginable shades, and even with bright tints.

The newest varieties are distinguished by their amazing beauty and grace, stability of varietal characteristics over many years, resistance to disease, unpretentiousness, and friendly flowering.

In this article we will tell you how to grow gladiolus correctly and what points to pay special attention to.

general information

Gladiolus is a capricious perennial that requires a lot of attention at any time. The height of the powerful straight stem reaches 1.5 m, and it is surrounded by hard thin leaves about half the height. The rest is occupied by a powerful inflorescence, on which large buds are densely collected.

The root system of gladioli consists of corms on which thin small roots grow. These bulbs are covered with dense scales, from under which sprouts hatch. In fact, each bulb is renewed annually.

The timing of flowering depends entirely on the specific species and variety. Some bloom at the very beginning of summer, while others bloom closer to autumn. Funnel-shaped flowers are collected in arrow-shaped inflorescences and gradually open from bottom to top.

Photo: fr.wallpaper.mob.org

Landscape design

Any landscape design will benefit if gladioli are one of the compositions. Even the smallest garden plot can be perfectly decorated if there are gladioli. Planting bulbs in the spring will turn it into a flower fairy tale by the end of summer.

Flowers are given a place near houses, along fences and paths. Gladioli, planted near a small country pond, will look charming. They decorate lawns, flower beds, and flower beds with swords. It is planted in a single composition, or whole ensembles of several varieties are made up.

Gladiolus looks ideal in a group planting with dahlias, marigolds, silver wormwood, phlox, and ageratum.

Previously we told: Soapwort.

Having thought through the color scheme and the timing of plant flowering, you can create amazing floral masterpieces that will bring joy to many people.

Types of gladioli

The number of decorative varieties of gladioli has long exceeded one hundred. But first, let's look at the main types and their differences!

Common gladiolus

One of the most common species, which became the basis for many modern miracles of selection. It is tall, up to 1 m, with long thin leaves and voluminous inflorescences up to 20 cm in length.

Photo: domashniecvety.ru

Swamp Gladiolus

It grows in swampy regions and is compact in size. It has a thin stem up to 60 cm and approximately 5-8 purple flowers per peduncle.

Photo: commons.m.wikimedia.org

imbricated gladiolus

In nature, this is a very small species, up to 50 cm, but in culture it can easily be grown to almost twice that size. The inflorescence is one-sided, but the number of buds reaches 14 pieces.

Photo: zapovednytur.by

Byzantine gladiolus

In nature, it prefers forests and lawns, and blooms during the summer. Despite the small size of the peduncle, the flowers themselves are quite large - up to 6 cm.

Photo: onlineplantguide.com

Gladiolus Kochi

A charming mountain variety with the same charming purple buds on a thin but strong shoot. It has narrow linear leaves and a small bulb with a leathery outer shell.

Photo: plantarium.ru

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Gladioli care

Gladioli can hardly be called unpretentious. They have specific requirements for everything from storing bulbs to cutting flower stalks. But we tried to highlight the main points!

Temperature

Gladioli tolerate the temperature and climatic conditions of our latitudes well. But here it is important to choose the right variety, adapted to a particular region. Because bulbs from warm countries do not tolerate planting in the cold north.

Photo: zen.yandex.ru

Lighting

Gladioli need light, because in the shade you may not be able to wait for flowering at all. This is especially true for late varieties; some early varieties can still be grown in partial shade, but they will bloom later.

Photo: pixabay.com

Watering

It is recommended to water gladioli not too often, but abundantly. In normal times, once a week is enough, but if the drought lasts, then increase the frequency depending on the situation. Always after this, loosen the soil and remove the weeds.

Photo: dizainexpert.ru

The soil

Gladioli need slightly acidic, light and fertile soil. But they have a specific feature. You cannot grow bulbs in one place for more than 2 years, and when replanting, it is better to choose an area with a different type of soil.

Photo: badschool.ru

Fertilizers and fertilizing

Gladioli need to be fed separately to increase leaf mass and for flowering. The first feeding is at the very beginning of the growing season, then - when the buds are forming.

Photo: vosadu-li-vogorode.ru

Trimming

The powerful flower stalks of gladioli take a lot of energy from the bulb. Therefore, many gardeners argue that it is better to admire such flowers as a cut flower than in a flower bed. In any case, the sooner you remove the flower stalks, the better it is for the plant.

Trim the flower stalks so that each leaves at least 4 leaves, but the “stump” is completely hidden in them. Immediately after the procedure, reduce watering to a minimum and feed the plant so that the bulb accumulates useful substances. Especially if you still remove the flower stalks after flowering.

Photo: m.fotostrana.ru

Bulb storage

In the second half of September, carefully remove the bulbs with a pitchfork along with the roots, rinse and inspect. Throw away any bulbs that are small, too old, sickly or damaged. Trim the roots, disinfect, dry well on paper and put them in a mesh box. Store them there for 2-3 weeks at +25 degrees and above.

Reduce the temperature to +20 degrees for another 4-6 weeks, and stir the bulbs periodically all this time. Then you can send them for permanent storage at a temperature of about +6 degrees. For the smallest and youngest, reduce it to +3 and increase the humidity to 90%.

Photo: kudamoscow.ru

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Legend of the flower

Since the flower has been grown since ancient times, people have created legends and myths about it. According to one of them, gladioli grew from the swords of brave warriors.

Did you know? Gladioli bulbs have been used as food since before our era. First they were baked and mashed together with onions. Then cakes were made from this mass.

The Romans fought with the Thracians. Victory in the war went to the Romans. The Roman commander ordered the captured soldiers to be made gladiators. Sevt and Teres became great friends. Longing for homeland and freedom united them. Slavish humiliation in captivity, on the one hand, oppressed them, but on the other hand, it made them even more friendly.

The cruel commander wanted to see a fight between friends. The reward for the winner was a return to their homeland. When the trumpets began to play and the crowd was ready to see the fight, the friends stuck their swords into the ground and hugged each other. "Why don't they fight?" - shouted the angry spectators. The young men decided that it was better to die than to entertain the bloodthirsty public. They were executed, and in place of the swords beautiful flowers grew, which were named gladioli in their honor. To this day, they symbolize friendship, loyalty, nobility and the memory of brave warriors.

The ancient plant gladiolus is shrouded in history and legends. It is a wonderful decoration for any flower bed. Due to its unpretentiousness and simple care, it is grown by almost every gardener. You just need to know some of the subtleties of this process and the bouquets in your flower beds will delight you with large, healthy flowers of all kinds of colors.

Planting and propagation

A month before planting the bulbs, sort them again and remove the toughest scales. Place in a warm place in the light in one layer with the sprouts facing up. Before planting, treat with special antiseptics. The planting depth depends on the type of soil: for heavy soil it is approximately 3 bulb diameters, and for light soil it is 4.

Children are prepared in the same way - first remove the hard shell, and then warm it. But the light should be diffused, because they are more gentle. Plant gladioli in rows at a distance of 7 to 15 cm, depending on size. Add a layer of sphagnum to the bottom to regulate acidity and drainage.

We recommend planting bulbs according to size, gradually moving from large to small. Otherwise, the big ones will not allow the small ones to develop and will draw all the resources onto themselves.

In nature, gladioli are often propagated by seed, but in everyday life this is time-consuming, inconvenient, and the flowers do not retain their varietal characteristics. This method is only suitable for the southern regions.

To propagate with a bulb, you just need to select high-quality and healthy material. They are simply cut vertically in half so that a fragment of the bottom and bud remains on each part. The larger the proportion of the bulb, the faster the plant will develop. You need to cut it a couple of days before planting so that the cut dries.

In addition, tubers are used for propagation, but their number and appearance greatly depend on the variety. These are small, seemingly underdeveloped shoots with rudiments of leaves that are just finishing forming towards the end of the season. Then they can be separated.

Photo: samisrykami.ru

Preparatory process

A few weeks before planting, gladiolus bulbs are cleared of dense scales. In this case, you should not damage the sprouts. It is also necessary to remove diseased and partially affected particles on the surface. Diseased areas are treated with brilliant green.

Before planting, the surface of the corms is treated with chemicals. The bulbs are placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. Planting of gladioli after treatment is carried out immediately after disinfection; there is no need to rinse the tubers under running water.

Children are also being prepared for planting work. Specimens of at least 7 mm are suitable. They are also disinfected in a potassium permanganate solution.

Pest and disease control

Gladioli suffer from a typical set of bulbous plants, and they have mediocre immunity. Therefore, first of all, be sure to carefully select planting material and treat the bulbs with special preparations. It makes sense to carry out preventive spraying with fungicides and insecticides.

The most dangerous disease is dry rot, which affects all parts of the plant from the bulb to the tips of the leaves. Brown spots appear everywhere and the plant withers. Sick gladioli must be completely removed, destroyed and the hole treated with medications.

Gray mold results in soft, watery spots and is most often caused by too much humidity. In the early stages, treating the bulb with fungicides and drying can help. The same treatment is used for scab, the symptoms of which are red-brown spots on the stem.

Bacterial canker appears as bumpy growths on the bulb, and there is no cure, so the plant must be destroyed. The same applies to viral mosaic and jaundice, in which the leaves change color and the plant becomes smaller and degrades.

Thrips and wireworms are dangerous pests. Regular spraying with insecticides at least three times per season and treating the bulbs before storage helps. Also, do not plant gladioli in an area where potatoes or carrots previously grew.

Photo: orchardo.ru

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