Gladioli: it's the right time to plant them if you want to have a colorful balcony this summer

Gladioli, also called sword lilies due to their long and pointed shape, are beautifully colored flowers that can adorn and decorate your balcony. Let's see together when and how to plant them to get beautiful blooms

I gladioli (Gladiolus) often referred to lilies of the sword due to their pointed and long leaves, they are bulbous plants with long stem flowers suitable for both gardens and balconies. Famous for its unmistakable beauty and elegance and for the strong resistance of their blooms even after cutting, the gladiolus is one of the most loved flowers in the world. This is no surprise, as they are perfect for adding a pop of color to gardens and balconies, while also providing great contrast to other flowering plants.

With colorful and easy to grow flowers both in pots and directly in the ground, the gladiolus will give you long-stemmed blooms that will blossom from July to September, depending on the planting period, giving you a colorful balcony for the duration of the summer season. Let's see together when and how to plant them

Index

When to plant gladioli?

The gladiolus flower comes from a defined bulb corm. Typically these beautiful flowering plants are buried from mid-April to mid-May, when the frost has passed and the soil is well warmed and soft, at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other and 5-10 cm deep with the tip pointing upwards.

During the flowering period, this plant goes fertilized about every 2 weeks. This will allow you to enjoy the first blooms about 2 or 3 months later, the time it takes for the corms to take root, grow and flourish.

How to plant gladioli

Before burying i corms, make sure you have carefully cleaned the soil from stones and roots, then plant the corms in a hole about 10 cm deep with the pointed end facing upwards, then cover with earth and press firmly. Remember to space the corms about 15 cm away from each other. If your intention is to cut the beautiful gladiolus flowers to embellish the interior of your apartment by planting their bulbs in rows, it will be easier to care for and harvest them.

If your soil is particularly heavy, add sand to each hole to facilitate plant growth and to deeply nourish the bulbs. A phase of fundamental importance is that of tapping, especially if you want to plant tall varieties, being careful not to damage the corms with stakes, if instead you are planting a variety of dwarf gladiolus you will not need to tap the ground. The watering of the plants must be abundant especially during the hottest months. The soil must always be moist and well drained, but not excessively, so as not to give rise to stagnations that can favor the growth of rot, mold and parasites. Finally, remember to plant the gladioli in full sun, the gladiolus corms will partly bloom even in the shade, but the colors will not be as particular as when you expose them directly to sunlight, giving you an incredible colorful show and giving your balcony a decisive extra touch.

When to harvest gladioli

Gladioli: it's the right time to plant them if you want to have a colorful balcony this summer

pixabay/@ElinaElena

The flowering of the gradioli that delight us with their characteristic enlarged trumpet flowers usually takes place between July and September depending on the period in which the bulb is buried and lasts about two weeks.

Gladioli must be collected at the early morning, cutting the tips as soon as the first shoots are colored, to guarantee you longer exposures. Once in the pot, replace the water often, keep in mind that the stem blooms from the bottom up and if you don't remove the wilted parts in time, the upper ones may give up and never bloom.

With a little care and consistency, you can keep the whole peak healthy for a week or two.

Near which plants to combine gladioli?

The flowers of gladioli, as mentioned, last about two weeks in pots giving color and effect especially if planted next to:

lilies,
dahlias
montbretia

We recommend a sunny place in the garden or place the pot in the most exposed area of the balcony.

Hyacinths lend themselves well to giving volume and color to flower beds of perennial or annual plants, but also in patches of freshly pruned or planted shrubs. They can also be very useful when accompanied by plants and flowers that attract beneficial insects to your garden.

10 plants and flowers to attract bees and ladybugs to the garden

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