Growing guide

How to grow gladioli

Gladioli offer a brilliant array of flower colours. Some are hardy and overwinter happily in well-drained soils, others are best lifted each autumn and stored dry, or dried off in the pots where they grow. They can be planted informally in borders, in rows for producing cut flowers or used to create container displays.

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Quick facts

  • Gladioli are corms (bulb-like structures)
  • Garden hybrids make good cut flowers
  • Gladioli enjoy a fertile, well-draining soil or potting compost
  • Some species and cultivars are hardy, others need frost protection in winter
  • Plant most corms in spring 
  • Lift non-hardy gladioli in autumn and store dry over winter
  • Propagate by growing on small corms from hybrids, and sow seeds of species

All you need to know

Before you get started
Planting
Ongoing care
Propagating
Problems
While we think all this information will be helpful to you, we always recommend to read the instruction labels on your plants.

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