Try Gladioli for vertical interest. Gladioli are popular flowers. Many people grow these tall, graceful flowers because they make excellent cut flowers. But don't overlook the impact they can have in your garden border.
Plant clumps of gladioli in the back of your border behind lower growing plants. They will add height and interest to the border. Groups of 10 to 20 corms of a single cultivar will be the most striking, but you can plant a number of clumps using a different color for each grouping. These corms, planted all at the same time, will bloom at about the same time.
Because gladioli can reach heights of 3 to 4 feet, you may need to provide the plants with some type of support. Hoop type supports that the plants can grow up through work well with glads planted in clumps and prevent the need for individual staking.
If you also want to plant glads for use as cut flowers, plant the corms in a separate bed where they will be easier to harvest. To get the most blooms, make new plantings of corms every 10 days until mid to late June.
No matter where you plan to add gladioli in your landscape, choose plump corms that aren't shriveled or diseased-looking. Glads need a well-drained site in full sun to perform their best. Plant them 3 to 5 inches deep. Use a 2-inch layer of mulch to help keep the soil moist and keep down weed growth.
Make sure that the plants get enough water during the growing season. This is particularly important when flower spikes are developing.
Gladioli aren't cold hardy here in Alabama. If you want to save the corms for next year, dig the corms up after the growing season ends (but well before the first frost) and store them in a dry, cool dark area until planting time rolls around again.
