gladiola sellers

I am looking for the best glad growers/sellers with a nice variety. These are a passion of my daughter's and were mine when I was younger.

woodspirit, I saw a very nice selection in the Brent & Becky's catalog. I thought prices were reasonable. I didn't buy from them only because I had already purchased Mon Amour at walmart for $4.88 per 25 bulbs X 3. I figured 75 bulbs was enough for my first try at these. I planted in staggered fashion, and the first 25 bulbs are about 6" tall.

Home depot had mixed variety packages for just a tad more than wallyworld

Wood - here's my favorite site. I haven't ordered from them before. Was going to this year but got all involved in buying my new house that I didn't get them ordered. Watchdog has one comment (positive) from Jan. 2005.

http://www.nowetagardens.com/catalog.html

Here's another I like to look through. Also never ordered from them. Watchdog has one neutral rating on them from Aug 2004.

http://www.gladiola.com/photo.htm

best of luck on your gardens!

one of my first garden ventures were glads. 70 count in a bag at costco (less than $10). they all bloomed, and wow. one kind though, but it was inexpensive and rewarding.

moonglow, what did you use for stakes?

did NOT use any. i guess the kind i planted are sort of mid-rise and not the really tall ones. i'm a novice gardener, so ANYTHING that sprouts, i wow about.

it was really fun planting them, and once they bloom, you'll have cut flowers for the whole neighborhood.

=)))

This message was edited Mar 27, 2005 7:58 PM

Thanks so much langbr. Glads were an early love; so dependable. My daughter now loves them a lot so I forwared the link to her..........

I bought a big bag from "Bulbmart" off of ebay. I'm very pleased with the size and condition of these bulbs. http://stores.ebay.com/Bulbmart_Gladiolus_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Each bulb was at least 1.5 inches in diameter.

wow, thanks emily. Very nice. I will compare prices too.

woodspirit1, i was just a costco and they still have 70 count glads in a bag. i may go again this week, would you like me to grab you one? it's less than $10.

Wow! 70 for $10? Are they "blooming" size? I also have a costco membership, but haven't been there for quite a while and I've never bought bulbs there. A local nursery has at least 15 different colors for $.50/each. I have some that are over 2" across. The largest gladiola I've seen so far one I dug up in a bed I've re-amended. It measures almost 3" across and had many little bulblets.

emilyrasmus,
Thank you so much for the info. I just placed an order with them for:
Black Jack Glads (35)
Kenora Macob Dahlia (2)
Black Forest Calla Lily (1)
I'm super-excited.
Michelle

Hi Michelle,

I've ordered from them more times than I can count and have never been disappointed. I, too, bought a "Black Forest Calla" and am looking forward to the blooms. I also bought 4 anneke purple callas from them and am really excited. Let me know how they turn out for you.

--Emily

emily & Witch, which one did you order from? Moonglow, thanks for the offer but I am looking for specific colors, like the Mon Amour that vossner bought. There are indeed 2 different sizes you see listed in each website/catalog. The intermediate size are shorter ones that are still quite nice and don't have to be staked. Brent & Becky's refers to those as "Flevo" most of the time. I also like the species varities, a/k/a Abyssinian glads. These have a fragrance.

oh, ok, wood =). i hope you find the ones you are looking for.

emily, they all bloomed and lined my entire driveway!

I, too, bought at least 2 black forest calla and 4 anneke. How long does it usually take those guys to come up? I planted mine over a month ago. I hope the blooms are as beautiful as they are on the package.

Speaking of staking, do the really tall glads need to be staked? Reason I ask is all of the glads I bought grow quite tall. I haven't planted them yet, but when I do so, I'll plant each one at least 8" down. I've heard that planting them deeper can prevent them from flopping over.

Unless you got a lot of cold and wet weather, they should be up.

You planted them at the right depth. You can also buy a smaller size like #1 or 12-14cm or #2 10-12cm. Also there are genetically lower growing varieties that do not need staking.

Hmm... Maybe I'll do some digging around to see if anything has sprouted. I have them inside, right in a southern window to warm the soil. I've kept the soil moist so I'm not too worried. I planted a number of other callas that took 6 weeks to come up.

woodspirit,

Old House Gardens http://www.oldhousegardens.com/ sell old heirloom glads (daffodil and crocus and lots of other heirloom bulbs too), many of them hard to find anywhere else. Some of the rarest ones cost a lot (of course you can get one and bide your time), but others are pretty reasonable.

I am just getting some for the first time this spring, so I can't say one way or the other about the company. They have A1 GardenWatch ratings though.