August’s Flower of the Month - Gladiolus
Saturday, August 9th, 2008
The much maligned yet magnificent Gladiolus has to be THE flower to buy in August. With it’s tall, elegant spikes of flowers, resplendent colours and good vase life, the Gladiolus (or Gladioli plural) has grown in popularity in recent years.
Often associated with the celebrity character Dame Edna Everage, the Gladiolus became a trademark of her stage shows as flower stems would be hurled out to the audience. Although Dame Edna has Australian origins, the Gladiolus is actually native to Africa, notably South Africa. However, as its popularity as a cut-flower has grown, Gladioli are now grown across Europe and are increasingly being adopted by English growers for the home market.
As well as the traditional tall, large flowering varieties there is also an old fashioned miniature variety known as ‘Bridal Gladioli’ or Gladiolus Colvillei which is a smaller, dainty version of Gladioli popular in wedding floristry.
Buy Gladioli when they’re in season and you can create a stunning vase arrangement simply and inexpensively. To prolong the life of Gladioli cut approximately one inch off the base of their stems and place in deep, clean water. Then pinch out the top two or three buds at the stem tip as this will encourage the lower flowers to open and keep the stems straight. Gladioli tend to be thirsty flowers so keep an eye on the water level in the vase.