Planting gladioli: when is the best time?

Gladioli with their colorful flowers are a highlight in every garden and present themselves in full glory over the summer. The irises are up to 150 centimeters high and come in a variety of varieties offered, which either have extremely large flowers or are decorated with a delicate ornament present. Regardless of which type of gladiolus you choose, the planting and the correct planting time are always the same.

time

Breeding gladioli

Gladiolus (bot. Gladiolus) are true sun worshipers who like it very warm and therefore bloom very late from mid-June to September at the earliest. Their short flowering time of two weeks is typical for the gladiolus and the targeted placement of the individual tubers enables a flowering time according to your ideas. The breeding or noble gladions, i.e. the cultivated species, are represented with the following classifications.

• Large-flowered gladioli from the garden gladiolus (bot. Gladiolus gandavensis)
• Butterfly gladiolus (bot. Gladiolus papilio)
• Nanus gladiolus
• Primulinus gladiolus

All of these classifications have a large variety of varieties, but do not differ in the actual planting time. Nevertheless, they differ in their robustness, which of course in turn influences the time of planting. The nanus gladioli are much more robust than the large-flowered ones and can therefore be planted earlier. The same point in time is always taken as the starting point.

• Mid-April to early June
• setting until July is possible with late bloomers

You can use this entire period of time for the individual plantings of the tubers, but you should make sure that the tubers of the less robust varieties are protected from the cold. Particularly noteworthy here are frost in April and the ice saints in mid-May, as these can particularly affect the large-flowered and Gladiolus papilio. Be on the safe side if you only start planting after the ice saints are over, as temperatures here can drop by a few degrees. You should pay attention to this point, especially if you live in the cooler areas of Germany.

Gladiolus bulbs

Alternative: dig in gladiolus bulbs earlier

Compared to the normal planting period, consider planting earlier if you want to dig up the gladiolus bulbs again before winter. Many species can overwinter in warm places for several years and are dug up in autumn and then put back into the ground in spring. In order for the tubers to survive this procedure, they must have collected enough nutrients over the year so that they do not pass over the cold season. For this reason, it is definitely advisable to plant these specimens in April, not later. Use robust varieties for this, however, if there is a risk of night frosts.

Wild gladioli

When is the best time for wild gladioli?

In contrast to the cultivated forms, wild gladioli can be planted at a completely different time because they have hardy tubers. When is the planting time for these varieties? In the autumn. As with other plants that you plant in the fall, for example onions, these wild forms can easily are set in autumn from late September to November and drift at the same time as the cultivars the end. The following species of Siegwurz gladiolus belong to the wild gladioli.

• Common Siegwurz (bot. Gladiolus communis)
• Wiesensiegwurz (bot. Gladiolus imbricatus)
• Marsh ventriloquist (bot. Gladiolus palustris)
• Marsh Victory Root (bot. Gladiolus palustris)

These species are more robust than the cultivated forms, but they are usually smaller in appearance and lower in growth. Nevertheless, they form dissolute clumps over the years and do not place high demands on the location. They are a pleasant alternative to the classic noble gladioli. The duration of the flowering period in the wild gladioli is also around two weeks.

Longer flowering period

Since gladioli have a fairly short flowering time on average, you should vary the planting times of the individual tubers in order to enjoy the plants for longer. This means that you should plant new tubers every week for the entire planting period from April to June so that they open at different times and overlap during the flowering period.

You should proceed as follows:

• first robust varieties are planted
• this minimizes the chance of frost damage
• from June put the other varieties

This means that your gladiolus bed can not only vary in the variety of varieties, but also bloom over a period from the beginning of August to the end of September. You do not run the risk of light spots appearing in the bed, as the numerous tubers that are planted enable a high density of flowers. Since gladiolus is one of the most popular cut flowers in midsummer and late summer, you can enjoy the plant's appealing inflorescences for eight weeks. Planting different species with the right planning ensures a unique eye-catcher in the garden.

Tip: If you have specialized in a single gladiolus variety, you should plant it continuously at weekly intervals from May to the end of June. However, you have to make sure that the corresponding flowering period is then a little shorter, even if you will then only encounter your favorite variety in the garden.