Gladiolus
Gladiolus × hortulanus
Family Iridaceae
A six-dollar bag of gladiolus corms turns into eight weeks of armload bouquets — two-to-five-foot spikes lined with flowers that open bottom to top, in the vase as happily as in the row. Forget the funeral-flower slander; this is the farm stand's favorite math.
Hummingbirds work the spikes outdoors while you're cutting for the kitchen table, and children love a row of their own to harvest. Corms need to stay away from pets, but everything above ground is easy company. Plant a handful every couple of weeks and the bouquets never stop.
Full Sun
Moderate water
Fast growth
Attracts hummingbirds
From the print shop
Growing gladiolus? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries gladiolus — Gladiolus hortulanus, print Nº 206, “Gladiolus.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what gladiolus actually needs.
Life cyclePerennial zones 8–10, annual elsewhereGladiolus · Common problems
Common gladiolus problems
Pests
3 problems on file
- THRIPS (silvered streaky blooms — the glad plague)
- Aphids
- Root Mealybugs
Diseases
3 problems on file
- Corm Rot
- Fusarium
- Aster Yellows
Gladiolus · Growing & propagation
Growing gladiolus
- Light
- Full Sun
- Water
- Moderate
Soil- Well-drained, average · pH 6.0 - 6.5
Fertilizer- Feed at 6 leaves and at spike show
Pruning- Frost → dig corms, cure 3 weeks, store dry at 40-50°F (or rebuy
They're cheap) — Stake rows with a string corridor; cut spent spikes but keep 4 leaves to recharge the corm.
Spacing- 6 in apart, 4-6 in deep
How to plant & propagate gladiolus
- Propagate
- Offsets, division, or bulbils
Gladiolus · Seasonal care & spray guidance
The gladiolus growing playbook
When to spray gladiolus
Dormant season. Dust stored corms if thrips rode along.
Growing season. Release-friendly: blast or soap thrips early; badly streaked spikes get cut and binned.
Gladiolus · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Gladiolus · Yearly calendar
The gladiolus year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomBloomMay to September
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Gladiolus · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Gladiolus × hortulanus
Gladiolus in the garden system
Attracts- Hummingbirds
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What gladiolus is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesToxic to pets (corms worst)
Use- Bucket bouquets
- Use
- Farm stands
- Use
- Kids' cutting rows
Harvesting & storing gladiolus
Cut spikes when the LOWEST bud shows color — the rest open in the vase.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Gladiolus · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a gladiolus variety
'Priscilla' (ruffled bicolor); Grandiflora mixes; 'Atom' (small, elegant); hardy G. nanus (z5!)
Sources & plant identity
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Gladiolus
Gladiolus × hortulanus
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Gladiolus × hortulanus
- Plant family
- Iridaceae
- Growth habit
- Bulb · Tender Perennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- GLGA2
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
for Gladiolus
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Questions
Gladiolus questions, answered straight.
Is gladiolus safe for kids and pets?
With care. Toxic to pets (corms worst) Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
When do you harvest gladiolus?
Cut spikes when the LOWEST bud shows color — the rest open in the vase.
How do you propagate gladiolus?
Offsets, division, or bulbils.
Elsewhere
Where gladiolus sits in the library.
Sunflower
Zinnia
Peony
Daylily