Gladiolus

Hi,

I feel silly asking this because I have no clue. I live in zone 5 and if I plant glads I know I have to lift them at the end of the season. Has anyone in z5 succesfully lifted their glads and planted them again the following season? Also, at the time you lift your glads, can you divide them, or should you wait a couple of years? Lastly, where is a cheap place to buy glads? I am particularly fascinated with orange ones.

Thanks.

Megan

No question is silly, nobody is born with knowledge!

My grandmother has Glads near her house that I gave her in z5 NW Colorado, and she does not dig them. They divide themselves, being corms, but stick together to some degree. Tiny bulblets can be divided from the mother bulb. I cannot say that I'm z5, but I can provide to you the fact that Pine Tree Seeds sells some very inexpensive blooming-size bulbs in a miriad of colors.

I warn you, a good orange can be hard to find; if you get lucky, tell me what you found!
K. James

I'm zone 5 and have lifted the corms and they all bloomed and reproduced beautifully the following year. I've had the little corms overwinter and actually had them bloom late in the growing season. I know they were the little ones that dropped off because I dug all the big ones.

Oh okay, corms. They look more "bulby" to me than corms, but thank you for the clarification jamesco and llilyfan. I checked out Pine Tree Seeds, but I found this place you may want to check out too and yes, I found orange ones, lol!!!! Yippee!!! They are very hard to find, I checked a lot of places and this is the only one with orange that I came across in my searches.

http://www.touchofnature.com/springcatalog/gladiolus.htm

Megan



This message was edited Feb 7, 2006 2:42 PM

Megan, I lift my Glads in the fall. A few years ago I deliberately planted some quite deep with the intention of leaving them to overwinter. They came up the second year but the following winter was exceptionally cold and dry. They didn't make it.
I have some along the foundation on the south of the house that stay there year round but they are warm there. So I guess it's up to you but why take the chance. Lifting allows you to amend the soil, divide them and move some around. They store quite well in a paper bag on the basement floor, anyplace above freezing actually.
I have some very tall orange ones. A neighbor gave them to me because they always fell over when in full bloom. Weak stems, they fall over for me too, but they are nice as cut flowers.
Andy P

You can ID a a true bulb (exceuse my homogenization above) by the fact that a bulb is made up of leaves wrapped up on each other, i.e. an onion. If it is a fat stem in a bulbous chape, it is a corm. i.e. Crosus, Crocosmia, Glads, Freesia, and most calla lilies.

I found that the simple key to storage is keeping them dry.

Be sure ot tell us how the orange colors bloom out. So many are weakly colored.
K. James

I really didn't try to appear snobby, I just remember during my deputy training I used the word 'clip' rather than 'magazine'........my shoulders are still sore from all the push-ups I had to do for that mistake!

I am NOT advocating leaving glad corms in the ground if you want to keep them alive for the next season. I have had baby corms winter over but never have had a full sized blooming bulb make it. I had another bed that very same winter where I didn't get the glads dug and not one survived.

I too will be interested in seeing if your orange glads are jump out and bite you orange or if they are ho-hum orange.

I might look for some glads for this years beds which will be rather bare since several of them are new.

Come on spring...just 2 months til this beauty starts its show again.

Megan, Are you looking for a pumpkin colored one?
Just this week I found a couple glad corms that were at the surface near my foundation. I brought them in and they are still firm, strange. Those are part of the group that overwinters outside. Real nice white/pink ones.
Here is a fuzzy pic of my kinda orange ones that fall over, notice how tall they are.
Andy P

K. James -- thank you for the info. To me the crocus and glads still look "oniony" to me, so I'll have to remind myself which, witch is which. :)

Lily -- sorry I had to laugh about the push ups. An old friend of mine went into the Coast Guard many years ago when we were both about 18. Stupid me, I sent him a stick of gum in a letter and he got in a lot of trouble with pushups and some other horrible tasks which I have conveniently blocked from my mind. I, of course, was mortified when I found out what I did to him, but luckily he has a good sense of humor and we remain friends today. You said it, good thing Spring is 2 months away. At least we have DAVE'S in the meantime!!!!

Andy P. -- Wow, what a pretty garden, I love the cleome and hibiscus with the glad. In all honesty, I didn't have a particular shade of orange in mind, just as long as they are orange. I wasn't aware orange was so hard to come by, since I knew someone from my old neighborhood who had them and didn't dig them up either and they came back each year for her. They look a lot like yours and she got hers at Job Lot. When I grew some in that neighborhood, I didn't dig mine up, but they didn't come back for me either. BTW, did you happen to check the link I gave above for Touch of Nature? Because, I ordered those orange ones and if they look anything like the color on the Touch of Nature website, or even like yours, I will be thrilled with them.

Megan

The push-ups story reminded me of when my brother joined the Marines. I knew what would happen if anyone sent food. I couldn't help myself, I sent him a big chocolate cake..... (and he really deserved it too!)

Megan, They could be the same as in the link. There are so many varieties, who could say?
Chances are good my bulbs came from a 'discount' store like Job Lot. I know my neighbors sister and she always picks up bargains. She was upset when he pulled them up but she lives in an apartment and has no place to plant them.
Your link said to plant them 3 - 4 inches deep. I plant mine a bit deeper than that.
I'm not going to get into why I had to do KP or extra duties in my tour of duty. LOL
Andy P

Oh dear, beaker-ch, I hope your brother didn't get even, lol!!!

Fair enough Andy P, we won't ask for details, lol. As far as how deep to plant them, this is funny. My 3 year old planted 2 glads about 1 inch deep last year and they flowered for her. I didn't think they would bloom because it was a bucket of bulbs from Walmart "the Easter bunny brought" which is why I didn't dig them in deeper for her. Plus she was quite proud of herself and I like to encourage their effort. Unfortunately, it never occurred to me to pull them up until this post so we'll know better for this season. We'll also heighten our chances of success by planting them in 3, 4 or more inches this time. Same with some dahlia's in the same bucket of bulbs. Never knew to pull them out. I will get the buckets for the girls again this year if they have them at Walmart for Easter, because there were some cute bulbs in there for under 5.00.

Well, thanks for the info all.

Megan

Megan, Like I said, I just brought in 2 glads that were sitting at the surface of the soil, check that bucket. It's been very mild, who knows.
Andy P

You're right, good point. I will check it out.

I have had a ruffled pink/white for years that divides itself silly. Every year, there is a pile of corms on the soil surface, and none of them die over the winter. We have dry winters; that may make a dfference. (This last fall I got rid of them all- they were huge- but I loathe pink.)

The mini Glad. nanus cultivars are said to be hardier. They do not come in colors outside of pinks, purples and whites, (a few yellows?) but they have some fascinating spots.
Come spring!
K. James

Also, if you want a longer blooming period. Plant your galds in two week intervals, and they will bloom till frost. So buy plenty to keep 'em going!
Here is a sample of the ones I grow. I just love them!
Janet

I haven't planted glads in years, but seeing Janet's picture reminded me of how, after putting cut glads in water, the water got all slimy and smelly. Is there something you can do to prevent that?

wow, Janet.
beaker, I don't think so. you just have to change ofter. same as w/ carnations. such a pain

I really don't have a problem with the water. Normally I put a variety of flowers in the vase, and just change it regularly. Maybe some hydrogen peroxide would work though. I have used charcoal in mine when I would be gone for a couple of days and it seems to keep it fresher as well. Good question! This yellow one if just beautiful..I didn't realize until I started planting them how many varieties and sizes, PLUS colors there are...The red ones with the cream outline are one of the varieties they call orchid glads and they really are beautiful. I have a landscaping company that cuts my grass and they are from Mexico....they just love my glads, say it makes them think of home.

This is another of my favorites...red and white, it really stands out in the garden.

Better picture of yellow..

K. James - yes, I've tried the Winter Hardy glads but I was disapointed in how small they were when they bloomed. They were more for the front of a border and I didn't realize that when I planted them. In my zone, corms/bulbs need to be lifted, but initially I didn't realize I could overwinter them by lifting them. BUT, I have seen orange ones that came back without lifting each year and those are the only ones I have heard of except for Andy P.'s and those were orange too. The ones I saw, sound similar in the way they were planted to Andy P's in that the sun hits them almost all day long and they were in mulched beds. I envy your luck in being able to keep them in the ground, lucky you.

Janet -- WOW is right! Very pretty. Thanks for sharing the great picture, it sure makes me long for Spring. Good to know about planting in 2 week intervals. It's always a disapointment when the glads stop blooming. Now I can keep the show going a little longer.

Megan

JanetS, Those red/white ones are lovely. I've never seen them before.
I only dabble with glads so don't know too much about the different varieties.

K. James, Funny you mentioned the 'ruffled white/pink' ones multiplying and sitting on the surface. That's what the ones by the house foundation do. They started with just a couple that I forgot or missed years ago, now they are a dense cluster that sit very near the surface. I always want to bring them in in the fall but forget. I'm going out this afternoon and dig them up. I'm sure they will benefit from dividing and re-planting in a new spot. There should be quite a few.
Andy P

WOW, I just filled a 2 gallon bucket with corms, many are 3 inches across and lots of doubles. Some have fresh roots and short sprouts.
Now I have to figure out where I can plant them this Spring. I have lots of gardens but they are pretty much planted out, with perennials.
That's a good problem though, better too many than too few.
Andy P

I love the butterfly glads too, the bicolors and tricolors with high contrast. Who has a favorite source for these?

Have been enjoying reading all these comments about glads.
Janet, those pictures of the glads sure are pretty. Such different ones.
Now I think about it, I do not have any orange glads. Never realized that that color is more difficult to get. Very interesting!
The ruffled pink/white ones sound so pretty. Just the favorite colors for girls, hehe!
I have done both ways here in Oregon. Dug them up, store them in sawdust, and also left them in the ground too. Both ways seem to work here. I think just like most plants, they like to be divided in time.
Andy, if you would like some dahlia tubers to trade for, I would love some of those "girly" color ones you dug up? Let me know.
Carol

lafko06 - I too am zone 5 in MA and am trying glads for the first time this year. I have an cutting garden and am trying some new things this year (I used to grow over 20 varieties of zinnias but want to try some other things this year). I ordered some glads from Old House Gardens on the advice of another gardener. I am not sure if I'll attempt to lift and store the glads. I used to do this for tuberous begonias and it was kind of a chore. I guess it depends on what is going on in the fall!

Speaking of Old House Gardens, if anyone is going to the New England Flower Show the first Saturday there is an interesting lecture to attend:

Scott Kunst, Owner and Head Gardener, Old House Gardens
Saturday, March 11, 3:30 PM
Heirloom Bulbs: Unique, Endangered, Amazing

I hope to attend this lecture!



This message was edited Feb 10, 2006 12:59 PM

Sedum, I have found that when dealing with plants that need 'lifting' for the winter, it's easier if you group them together. Planting a few here and a few there really is a chore and I'm more likely to miss a few in the fall.
Now I group these together. Glads, Dahlias and Oxalis work fine together and I dig them all up at the same time. (Note the pic above Feb. 8, 4:29 PM).
Carol, No more Dahlias please, LOL.
I like pink, well in flowers at least. I wish I had taken a pic of these last season. I remember trying but couldn't get a good shot.
I got this shot just a few minutes ago of a few really big corms from that bunch I lifted yesterday. I rinsed them and snapped this pic. The worm was a surprise, lol
I don't remember ever having such large ones. All I did was sprinkle some 10-10-10 on them twice per season. I'll find a place for them in the cutting garden.
Andy P

Thanks AndyP for the suggestion. I'll keep that in mind when I lay my gardens out -- still a work in progress this year as I am doing a radical change in the cutting garden! The picture above is lovely -- I did mean to comment on it when I replied by the way!

Q: Have you ever tried using any type of stakes for your glads? You said you had trouble keeping them up (even though in the picture they look upright). I am considering using such stakes as these:

http://www.gardeners.com/Single-Stem-Flower-Supports/default/14-318.prd

Sedum - Thank you for the info on Old House Gardens ( http://www.oldhousegardens.com/ ) it is a great place for heirloom and rare bulbs. Interesting that there were no orange ones. I won't be attending the lecture, but if you go, let us know how it went because it looks interesting. Also, please don't say you aren't going to lift them, that would be a shame, I'll come do it for you, lol!! BTW, how easy were those zinnias to grow? I want to try them this year, but they seem like they might be a lot of work from seed. Where did you prefer to get your zinnia seeds?

Andy P. - Lucky you got those out of the ground so you could check them out. My ground is frozen today. I went to look if I had any peeking out of the ground too, but it was frozen solid over there. Nice worm.

Sedum - I used those stakes last year for the glads, dahlias and delhiniums. Only I paid .89 cents each for them at Job Lot. They have them there each year with the hoops for your peony's for 2.99. Unfortunately, I never seem to find tomato cages there because the rest of their stakes are so reasonably priced.

Megan

Sedum, I'm too lazy for stakes. I have to force myself to stake the tomatoes.
The pic above of the orange glads has taken before the stems broke from the weight of the flowers and rain. I think it's the variety.
The white/pink ones would fall over because they were 'planted' on the surface, I think.
Staking is the reason I don't grow the tall Dahlias. I like those shorter, red flowering Redskin. I hate to admit it but I left dozens of the taller (5FT Bishops Children) ones out last Fall, I hate to stake....
Here is a pic of the now deceased tall ones. (I may not get another chance to post this pic,lol)
Andy P

lafko06 -- Isn't that bulb seller great and a bonus they have a fab reputation on GardenWatchDog! I hope I can go to the lecture -- I am really going to try. We usually go to the show later in the day. I have to convince my husband we have to go earlier this year. I promise, I'll try to lift the glads! I just remember when I did it for begonias the blooms weren't as spectacular the second year and I had some problems with some of them rotting. May be the glads won't suffer from this problem.

So about the zinnias...
I grow all my zinnias from seed in the basement under lights. I could post a picture Sunday if you like. I just start them in mid April (6 weeks till last frost). That way they don't get too leggy before going out in the garden. I've gotten zinnia seeds in many places (all the local stores, at the garden shows and online catalogs). Zinnia seeds save for a long time in the refridge. I just put them in a large glass mason jar and add dessicant packets to the jar and seal tightly. I grow some zinnias that are in their original packages are 7 to 10 years old if you can believe it! I don't have my zinnia seed list with me here but if you like I can send you an email and let you know my favorites. Zinnias do have one problem however they suffer from powdery mildew. I usually can avoid or control this problem using various natural sprays or sulpher sprays. Other than this problem they are very good for cut flowers and will bloom a long time. Just be sure to cut so they form branching plants early in the season or you'll get one long stalk!

Thanks for the inexpensive source for stakes! I'll have to look there.

AndyP - I know what you mean about staking! I used to have a hard and fast rule that I wouldn't grow any high maintenance plants (i.e. ones that needed staking) and also why I avoided dahlias. Of course now I am breaking that rule this year...

Sedum, I would love a d-mail of your favorite zinnias. Actually that was my main concern about the mildew and I had no idea you could use sprays to help. Sure, a picture Sunday would be great.

Okay, don't be mad at me for saying this you two, but staking is so fast and easy, lol! Weeding is more time consuming. I just open the shed, grab the stake, poke it in the ground and zip the flower in it. I will say that between the glads and dahlias I ordered for this season, I may finally see the light in why staking is such a pain in the neck. Looks like I better to get to Job Lot because I'm going to need more stakes now that you mention it.

Megan

lafko - Zinnias happen to be one of those wonderful plants you can just direct sow out in the garden. You don't even have to wait for the ground to warm up. Just toss in the general direction of your garden and walk away.

I'm planning on doing a lot of container gardening this year using tender bulbs. I specifically looked for glads that were of the shorter variety and found some. I even found some dwarf canna. I'm also going to try Glorioso Lily, Aztec Lily, Rain Lily and some others whose names escape me, probably because I didn't know how to pronounce them in the first place. There's a white calla lily that I'm going to try. and that's about the tallest in the bunch. Talk about lazy. The containers are going down to the basement for the winter dirt, bulbs and all. We'll see what happens.

I think I'll still have to lift the glads. But it will be easy sitting at my kitchen table rather than on my hands and knees.

Did any of you read the thread about winter storage of geraniums? I've gotta try that! Shake the dirt off the roots, toss in paper bag, place in cool dark location, once a month soak roots for an hour. If this works, the person who came up with this will live in my prays forever! It's got to be my one most expensive expenditure each spring (well, if you don't count lily lust).

I'm interested in the idea of doing the same to Bananas. It is difficult not to learn something each day around here.

Isn't that the truth!!!

Very nice pictures of your gladioli, Janet! I leave mine in the ground and they come back which is nice since I hate digging up bulbs.

This is one of my favorites