Gladiolus Invitatie - Sword Lily

The Gladiolus 'Invitatie' is a new variety of large-flowered gladiolus that is truly spectacular: tightly packed on long spikes, its large, well-formed flowers display two shades of pink, a light pink and a deeper pink. Precisely and beautifully edged in white, they create a truly pink fireworks display on the scale of the floral spike. This gladiolus is a wonderful addition to summer bouquets. In the garden, it brings verticality and a very "chic" touch to flower beds.

Cultivated gladioli, belonging to the Iridaceae family, are hybrid plants. They are divided into 3 major groups: Grandiflorus (large-flowered), Primulinus (early-blooming), and Nanus (butterfly). 'Invitatie', registered in 1988 in the Netherlands, belongs to the first group. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with broad, sword-shaped leaves arranged in a fan shape, forming a tuft that reaches 90 cm (35in) in height when in flower, under good conditions. The leaves, a vibrant green colour, are topped by a dense spike where numerous funnel-shaped flowers, measuring 10-12 cm (4-5in) in length, are tightly packed. They are composed of three light pink tepals alternating with three darker pink tepals, all edged in white. A small white signal also illuminates the pinker tepals. The storage organ is a corm, which is a swollen stem with scales. To enjoy the flowers all summer, plant your corms at 15-day intervals from March to May. The foliage of gladioli dries up and disappears a few weeks after flowering, marking the plant's entry into dormancy.

Gladioli and their long, colourful spikes are a symbol of the 70s and somewhat formal floral arrangements. While they are irreplaceable in bouquets, in gardens, their silhouette needs to be accompanied by lush foliage or delicate flowers that will enhance their abundant and wildly romantic flowering. Plant 'Invitatie' corms among clumps of violet, pink, or white salvias, baby's breath, bee balm, and white, violet, or pink ornamental alliums, for example. Or among small grasses like melica. They are common in cottage gardens, where they accompany vegetables all the way to the kitchen. For making bouquets, cut the flower spikes when the first floret begins to open. Plant them at two-week intervals from early spring until the end of June to enjoy flowers in your home and garden all summer long.

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