Gladiola

Temperature:  50-90 degrees Fahrenheit

Do you know of any one with an August birthday?  If so I have the perfect flower for you, and if not that’s okay too you can still enjoy these flowers even if your birthdays not in August. Gladiolas are the birth flower for the month of August.  Gladiolas are very common in flower arrangements.  They are tall with skinny stems that have flowers growing from the bottom to the top of the steam.  The flowers are a funnel shaped and come in so many different colors, from white, pale pink, yellow to green.  They also come in darker colors, fuchsia, violet or red.  The steams of Gladiola are called corns, so you might be able to tell what color the flowers will be based on the color of the corn.  If the corns of the Gladiola are dark then your blooms will be more fuchsia and red and if they are light you will more than likely have lighter color blooms.

The Gladiola gets is name from the ancient name Xiphium which means sword.  These flowers were used to represent the Roman Gladiators.

The vase life for the Gladiola is two to three weeks.  Not too bad, so instead of spending your money at the florist for something that will last three weeks, plant Gladiolas in your yard and trim them off if you want to enjoy them indoors.  You will be able to create the perfect flower arrangement for the August birthdays that are coming up. 

Plant your free plant mid spring.  Find a sunny location that the soil will drain well.  Plant your Gladiolas two to three inches deep into the soil and make sure they are three to six inches apart.  Do not drowned your Gladiolas but make sure the soil does stay moist; about one inch of water every week will do the job.  Gladiolas can grow to be three feet tall.  After the flowers have fallen off, cut the Gladiola back just a little before next spring that way will grow back even taller than last season.

You will be impressed not only by the beauty of these delightful flowers but also their lovely fragrant.  Enjoy your Free Plant!