Gladiolus Flevo Laguna - Sword Lily

The Gladiolus 'Flevo Laguna' brings something very new to the world of gladioli, with its unique small green and purple-red flowers, tightly packed on short and sturdy flower spikes. They simultaneously open in groups of 10 to 12 on plants that do not require staking. With its unusual colour, this small gladiolus is ideal in pots, as a border plant or in bouquets, especially with grasses or red flowers.

Originating from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, belonging to the family Iridaceae, the most colourful species of gladiolus come from South Africa. Cultivated gladioli are hybrids with large flowers, and they are divided into three main groups: Grandiflorus (large-flowered), Primulinus, and Nanus (butterflies). 'Flevo Laguna', registered in 2008, belongs to the Primulinus group. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with corms (globose bulbs), broad sword-shaped leaves arranged in a fan shape, forming a clump about 60cm (24in) tall, depending on growing conditions. The leaves are topped by an inflorescence in a spike, with funnel-shaped flowers arranged unilaterally, almost on the same side of the sturdy flower stem. Here, they are greenish-yellow, edged with bright red or purple-red, centered on a dark purple heart.

Gladioli and their long, often flamboyant, flower spikes are symbols of the 70s and somewhat formal floral arrangements. While they are irreplaceable in bouquets, in gardens, their silhouette needs the company of plants with lush or, on the contrary, delicate foliage, which will highlight their somewhat dense flowering. Plant them in groups in beds with salvias, small grasses, linaria, monarda, wallflowers, and forget-me-nots to create large colourful bouquets. They are regulars in cottage gardens, where they accompany vegetables even in the vegetable patch. For bouquet arrangements, cut the flower spikes when the first floret starts to open. Plant them at intervals of two weeks from early spring until the end of June to bring flowers to the house and garden throughout the summer.

The gladiolus gets its name from the shape of its sword-like leaves, derived from the Latin gladius. Its wild forms were often depicted in jewelry or on carpets and fabrics made by the Semitic people before the Christian era.

About botanical gladioli:

Far from the cultivated blooms, but offering the advantage of living like wild plants, botanical gladioli are an interesting alternative for gardeners: it is entirely possible to welcome them in the garden, as many of them are native to our temperate climates and yet very elegant:

The most widespread are Gladiolus byzantinus, with pink-purple spring flowers that naturalise. Gladiolus x colvillei displays variously coloured flowers, usually marked with pink or red in the throat. Among the very hardy species that naturalise, we can mention Gladiolus communis from southern Europe, with pink flowers striped or spotted with white or red. Gladiolus illyricus, found from southern England to the Caucasus, forms superb spikes of magenta-violet flowers streaked with white. Gladiolus imbricatus bears crimson-violet flowers with a very bright white spot highlighted with carmine-purple.