Summer Gladiolus

Gladiolas

One of my favorite flowers of summer are gladiolus.  The are so majestic and intensely colored, I just love having them in the house.  The flower stand at the local farmer’s market didn’t return this year, but I’ve been able to find almost as beautiful bunches at the grocery stores.   This week’s selection is a gorgeous, deep purple.

Gladiolus

 

Gladiolus

In case you missed my post last summer on how to care for gladiolus last August, I’ve reprinted it here. (Gladiolus from the Farmers Market).

IMG_3260

Gladiolus are one of my favorite flowers to have around the house.  They are just so dramatic, colorful and cheerful.  With so many colors to choose from, it’s usually hard to decide.  If you’ve ever seen a field of gladiolus, it’s quite a sight!

My local farmers market has a wonderful local fresh flower vendor.  While maybe a little more expensive than the grocery store florists, the flowers are always super fresh and last longer in the vase. They also give wonderful flower care advice.  This is this week’s purchase and some of their advice.

Fresh bunch from the farmers market!
Fresh bunch from the farmers market!
The flower vendor always offers to make a fresh cut with a super sharp chopper
The flower vendor always offers to make a fresh cut with a super sharp guillotine type cutter
Buy the bunch that seems to have the most color peeping out from the buds.  If there's color, it'll bloom. Closed up tight, it'll never bloom!
Buy the bunch that seems to have the most color peeping out from the buds. If there’s color, it’ll bloom. Closed up tight, it’ll never bloom!
Pinch off all the tips where the buds are closed up tight.  No sense making the stem waste energy on bids that won;t bloom.
Pinch off all the tips where the buds are closed up tight. No sense making the stem waste energy on bids that won’t bloom.
Taking off the tips makes the bouquet look a lot neater.
Taking off the tips makes the bouquet look a lot neater.
Beautiful, stunning display.  A few years ago, I finally invested in just the right sized vase to hold these flowers.
Beautiful, stunning display. A few years ago, I finally invested in just the right sized vase to hold these flowers.

Do you have a favorite gladiolus color?

6 thoughts on “Summer Gladiolus

    1. I love all the colors, too. Always a different color to enjoy. Too bad about the blooms this year. Seems like a lot of plants were off.

  1. I love your dark purple ones especially, but all are wonderful. I planted new bulbs this year but they didn’t do very well. Usually they’re quite fail-proof here. Coincidentally I’d just learned this summer to remove the tip of the flower–thanks for reinforcing that good advice.

    1. This probably want a good year to test new plants and bulbs. Hopefully they’ll rebound next year. I love the removing the tips advice. Really makes a difference in how they look.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.