Gladiolus 'Madonna'

Gladiolus are native to South Africa, but modern hybrids can be grown in any climate. You can plant bulbs every two weeks for constant flowering throughout the summer. It takes about 90 days on average for flowers to develop after planting. Full sun and rich garden soil are ideal. It is recommended to plant shallowly at first but mound soil up arround the base of the plants to stabilize. Bulbs will overwinter in zones 8+ and should be dug and stored for the winter in colder climates. These corms are of excellent quality, but small (6-8 cm around, or about the size of a quarter). I do not think that all will bloom this year, but some should. Smaller bulbs are generally a better long term investment because: 1) lower prices and 2) top size bulbs often lose vigor after a couple of years in the garden. This is why it is important to save and grow the small cormlets for a continual supply of vigorous plants.