Gladiolus Sweet Blue - Sword Lily

The Gladiolus 'Sweet Blue' flowers are adorned with a unique, rare, celestial, and luminous colour. In summer, the large inflorescences of a light lavender blue with ruffled petals and mauve reflections appear as if woven from satin. Its stems are strong, tall, and covered with numerous buds. Ideal as cut flowers. We deliver them in large sizes for the best blooming.

Cultivated gladioli, belonging to the Iridaceae family, are hybrids. They are divided into 3 main groups: Grandiflorus (large flowers), Primulinus (early blooming), and Nanus (butterflies). 'Sweet Blue', still difficult to find in the horticultural trade, belongs to the Grandiflorus group. Its ancestors are mostly native to South Africa. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with a storage organ. Its broad, sword-shaped leaves are arranged in a fan shape and form a tuft. When in bloom, the plant reaches about 1m (3ft) in height under good growing conditions. The leaves are topped by a tall spike-like inflorescence, with funnel-shaped flowers that are 10cm (4in) long and carried by sturdy stems. They are perfectly arranged on the spike and fit closely together without crowding. Their colour is a light lavender blue, with paler petals at the base, plicate and washed with mauve at the edges. The storage organ is a corm, which is a swollen stem with scales.

Gladioli and their long, colourful stems are reminiscent of the 70s and slightly formal floral arrangements. While they are irreplaceable in bouquets, in gardens, their silhouette appreciates the presence of plants with lush foliage to enhance their abundant yet romantically wild flowering. Plant 'Sweet Blue' corms alongside sage, tobacco, bee balm, and forget-me-nots, for example. They are commonly found in cottage gardens, where they accompany vegetables all the way to the kitchen table. To make bouquets, cut the flower stems when the first floret begins to open. Plant them at intervals of two weeks from early spring until the end of June to bring flowers into the house and garden all summer.

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