ALABAMA A&M and AUBURN UNIVERSITIES
 
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   GLADIOLI ADD HEIGHT AND INTEREST TO GARDEN BORDER
 
AUBURN, JUNE 18---Gladioli are popular flowers. Many people grow these tall, graceful flowers because they make excellent cut flowers for arrangements. But don't overlook the impact they can have in your garden border, says an Extension horticulturist.

Planting clumps of gladioli in your border behind lower growing plants can add height and interest to the border, says Dr. David Williams, Extension horticulturist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Groups of 10-20 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 3-4 feet, you may need to provide the plants with some type of support, says Williams. Hoop type work well with clumps of glads and eliminate the need for individual staking.

If you want to plant glads for use as cut flowers, Williams suggests planting 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 plant gladioli in your landscape, choose plump corms

that aren't shriveled or diseased. Glads need a well-drained planting 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 control weed growth.

Make sure the plants get enough water during the growing season, says Williams. This is particularly important when flower spikes are developing.

Gladioli are not cold hardy 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.

SOURCE: DR. DAVID WILLIAMS, Extension horticulturist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334) 844-3032.