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Genus Gladiolus

Gladiolus Gladiolus 'Carolina Primrose' Photo/Illustration: Scott Kunst
glad-ee-OH-lus Synonyms: Acidanthera, Homoglossum
Gladiolus offers attractive, sword-shaped leaves in fans and funnel-shaped flowers that bloom from the bottom to the top of the spikes, in nearly every color, including green. There are three main hybrid groups: Grandiflora hybrids (large flowers, lots of colors, sometimes difficult to grow well); Nanus hybrids (miniature hybrids with small blooms); and Primulinus hybrids (hooded flowers on mid-size, graceful, looser plants).
 Noteworthy characteristics: Showy blooms in nearly all the colors of the rainbow which make excellent cut flowers.
 Care: Fertile, well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Plant every two weeks to prolong bloom season.
 Propagation: Separate cormlets when dormant. For hardy species, sow seed in containers in spring in a cold frame. Tender species should be sown at 59°F in spring.
 Problems: Gladiolus corm rot (Fusarium), gray mold (Botrytis), viruses, aster yellows, spider mites, thrips, and aphids.

Species, varieties and cultivars for genus Gladiolus

Gladiolus 'Atom' Gladiolus 'Atom'
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

A glad for people who would normally never grow them, 'Atom' is about half the size of regular varieties, growing to at most 3 feet tall. This 1946 classic blends easily into perennial borders, and it won't get lost because its flowers are blazing red cooled by a thin, silvery edge.
Gladiolus 'Carolina Primrose' Gladiolus 'Carolina Primrose'
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This 3-foot-tall, small-flowered perennial glad was originally collected from an abandoned home site in North Carolina. Pure yellow with a wildflowery grace, it seems to be a form of a wild South African glad introduced about 1900 as Gladiolus primulinus.
Gladiolus 'Dauntless' Gladiolus 'Dauntless'
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Introduced in 1940, 'Dauntless' grows to 4 feet tall and has pale pink flowers with deep pink/red throats.
Gladiolus 'Fidelio' Gladiolus 'Fidelio'
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This 3- to 4-foot-tall glad has luminous deep purplish-rose flowers. It dates from 1959 and is called 'Fidelio' after Beethoven's joyous opera.
Gladiolus communis ssp. byzantinus
(Byzantine gladiolus) Be the first to rate this plant

These vigorous perennials have linear leaves to 24 inches long. Spikes of up to 20 funnel-shaped, marked, deep magenta flowers appear in spring.