[joyce c]

I planted 50 (what looked like healthy) gladioli, in the spring.  Not one have flowered,,,,any ideas why.

[tode]

Had the same problem last year: only two ratty flowers out of a "cheap" sack. Disappointed 'cos I'd planned cutting big bunches for Madame.
Much better this year though. The corms probably just werent big enough to flower.

[Casey76]

My gladioli have been awful.  Managed to get flower spikes on the majority of them, but then they all turned brown and crisped up.  I hardly had a single flower, and certainly nothing worth cutting!

Sorry can't be of any more help... but will gladly share commiserations!

[missycat]

Planted cheap bag of corms a bit late (June) not expecting any flowers this year but have noticed flower spikes developing on two today...I'm hoping that by next year the corms will be more settled and I'll have more flowers. My biggest problem with them is that something has eaten long holes between the ridges of the leaves but I candn't find the offender.

[Paul Plots]

1st year of planting just a few gladioli resulted in a few flowers and lots of brown, sorry looking shoots.

Since then I have fed them at planting time with manure pellets, kept them well weeded, raised a line of soil either side of the line of planting and (most importantly of all) kept them well watered.

My experience in the south is if the weather is hot and the rainfall frequent but not consistently a drenching then they are likely to dry out and suffer from lack of moisture.

By raising a low ridge of soil around them I can add a few inches of water once in a while and know that it will sink in and not run away - this ensures it reaches the corms a few inches down. It seems to work for me.

A cycle-trailer loaded for home:

[tode]

Lovely glads 

[catllar]

This is likely to be inflamatory, but just what IS the appeal of gladioli!??

[mumofstig]

This is likely to be inflamatory, but just what IS the appeal of gladioli!??

You either love 'em or hate 'em......same as most things in life

[Paul Plots]

Lovely glads 

I grow them because I enjoy giving them to other people including an elderly bed-bound neighbour who sees no more than the inside of her bedroom from one year to the next...and she loves them.

.....they are no bother to grow and fill spaces between crops and once you have a cheap packet they multiply and last from year to year

.....my OH wouldn't choose them as her favourite though 

[catllar]

Didn't realise they could multiply, but you still only get one flower per corm, don't you? Therefore once you've cut that one spike, thatshallot for the year isn't it?

[Paul Plots]

Didn't realise they could multiply, but you still only get one flower per corm, don't you? Therefore once you've cut that one spike, thatshallot for the year isn't it?

As far as I know it's rare to get more than one flower spike per plant (although it can happen) but each corm takes up only a few inches and you can get dozens in a very narrow short row.

It all depends on whether you like them or not - they brighten up the summer.. but have a rotten habit of losing their flowers from the bottom of the stem upwards once they are picked. On the other hand - interesting colour combinations.

[sclarke624]

My gladioli have been awful.  Managed to get flower spikes on the majority of them, but then they all turned brown and crisped up.  I hardly had a single flower, and certainly nothing worth cutting!

Exactly what happened to my Homebase ones.  Where as some I won from plant connection and put in a bit late are fine.

[Paul Plots]

My gladioli have been awful.  Managed to get flower spikes on the majority of them, but then they all turned brown and crisped up.  I hardly had a single flower, and certainly nothing worth cutting!

Exactly what happened to my Homebase ones.  Where as some I won from plant connection and put in a bit late are fine.

Lidls for top up gladioli..... cheap and reliable....small corms but they flower and increase in size each year. I planted some in the the garden at home and in my parent's garden as mine multiplied and there's only so many you can put up with on the lottie!!

[Bobbie]

Did not realise you could leave them in the ground or pots, can I dig mine up when they finished and put them in a more permanent place? Mine did flower, but wern't exceptional, thought they could go in the allotment bed for a splash of colour, and pets could not knock them over.

[joyce c]

So, should I leave the gladioli in until next summer even tho they produced not one flower.  I think I bought them from No Frills which is the same company as Homebase, if I'm not mistaken.  You'd think planting 50, I'd have had at least 1.  Other plants have flourished in the same area.