On 09/10/2013 12:51, Janet wrote:


if you're reading this, I'd just like to thank you for promoting the
glory of the vulgar gladioli. Yes, those huge, exotically OTT flower
spikes in dazzling colours and ruffles beloved of oldfashioned florists
gardeners and allotmenters, garden shows etc.

From childhood memory I'd always considered gladioli as one of those
tender fusspots that needs to be lifted, dried and dusted and replanted
after frosts, far too much faff for my "do or die" garden. I'd tried
several of the small-flowered, supposedly hardy gladioli nanus and
byzantium but they weren't....shy to flower even once, and far from
being hardy, just peter out to grassy leaves then nothing.

A few years back I saw in a Shed, corms of the large-flowered Dame Edna
kind including (irresistible to me) velvety Black Star

http://tinyurl.com/nkbkvfw

The corms are so ridiculously throw-away cheap I bought a bag and
planted them in clumps as exotic annuals. I was surprised how stunning
they look en masse, how long they flower, and that slugs don't trouble
them. Come autumn I abandoned them to die back, expecting winter rain
and cold to save the trouble of a funeral; especialy, as they were in
the cold-northfacing windiest side of the garden. The following year, I
bought a couple more bags and planted them. But to my surprise, by June
the first planting popped back up in full force with babies in tow. The
youngsters flower a bit later than the parents which is useful.

Those originals have just finished their third highly floriferous year
(and as cut flowers won a prize at the local show). The second lot have
lasted two, and I'm hooked.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/6701041...127084/in/set-
72157636350663755

(no name, these were mislabelled by B and Q as Velvet Eyes)

They've been in flower since August and later stems have enough buds
for another fortnight unless today's storm snaps their heads off; I've
brought a vaseful indoors just in case, possums.

Janet.





They all look great, Janet, but I especially love the G.Black Star.
Amazing colour!

Years ago, I also grew gladioli. Some of the leaves were spoiled
(marked and holey), but they flowered. The following year, no flowers
but lots of grassy foliage. I left the corms in, hoping they would
increase to flowering size, but they didn't. I spent a couple of years
pulling the grassy leaves up to get rid of them. I then sulked and
bought no more :~((.

So the question is: how do you keep them as flowering-size corms? Is
your soil lighter than mine (heavy clay despite 32yrs improving it)?, do
you plant them extra deep?, or feed/starve them ... or what?
I would love to have another go at growing them, especially Black Star
if I can get it.

I'd really appreciate your advice ... or indeed help from anyone who has
'the knack'.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay