Gladiolus collection for warm-toned displays

Here is a collection of 60 Gladioli in warm tones, combining deep red, pink with a touch of white, and carmine. The first two are classic hybrid varieties with large flowers. The third one is lower and finer, but remarkably colourful. With their incomparable elegance in a vase, their floral spikes are spectacular in flowerbeds and summer borders. Provide them with cool, well-drained soil and a sunny exposure.

This collection consists of:

- 20 'Espresso' Gladioli: undoubtedly the hybrid variety with the darkest and richest red colour. Its 1.20 m stems bear numerous black and pointed buds. The velvety texture of the petals enhances the burgundy and black reflections, and the flower centers reveal beautiful white stamens.

- 20 'Pink Lady' Gladioli: very beautiful flowers with fringed edges adorned with different shades of pink and white. The 80 cm stems are strong, sturdy, and covered with numerous buds.

- 20 'Mirella' Gladioli: this hybrid is characterised by fairly small flowers arranged on 60 to 70 cm tall stems, each bearing up to 20 florets. The flowers are splashed with carmine on an orange-red background. Each bulb or corm will produce 2 or 3 flower spikes. It blooms earlier than the other two, from June to August. The bulbs can withstand moderate winters in the ground, with some protection.

Individually labeled.

For cut flower arrangements, cut the flower spikes when the first floret starts to open. Plant them at intervals of two weeks from early spring to late June to have flowers in the house and garden all summer long.

Cultivated Gladioli, belonging to the Iridaceae family, are hybrid plants. They are divided into 3 main groups: Grandiflorus (large-flowered), Primulinus (early-flowering), and Nanus (butterfly). 'Espresso' and 'Pink Lady' belong to the Grandiflorus group, while Mirella is a Primulinus. Gladioli are a perennial herbaceous plant with broad, sword-shaped leaves arranged in a fan shape, forming a clump of leaves topped by a dense spike bearing large funnel-shaped flowers. The storage organ is a corm, which is a swollen stem covered with scales. To enjoy flowers throughout the summer, plant your corms at intervals of 15 days, from March to May.

Gladioli and their long colourful spikes are a symbol of the 70s and slightly formal floral compositions. While they are irreplaceable in garden displays, their silhouette needs the presence of light plants that will enhance their abundant flowering. Plant the Gladioli from this collection among clumps of blue, pink, or white salvia, or even scarlet red ones. Also consider Monarda and Forget-me-nots, for example. Alternatively, plant them among small ornamental grasses like Stipa or blue Fescues. They are regulars in cottage gardens, where they accompany vegetables all the way to the vegetable patch.