Abyssinian gladiolus

Abyssinian gladiolus: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright fan of leaves with gracefully arching flower stems, 70–90 cm tall and only 15 cm wide.

Leaves

Narrow, sword-shaped and ribbed lengthwise, fresh green, like a small gladiolus.

Flower

Starry, 5–7 cm across, with six white petals and a deep purple blotch at the centre, on a long, slender tube. Up to about ten flowers per stem, opening from the bottom upwards.

Scent

Sweet and strong, at its most intense at dusk.

Corm

A small, flattened corm with a fibrous tunic. Each year a new corm forms on top of the old one, surrounded by small cormlets.

Flowering: August–October · Plants: April–May

Why grow it?

• Flowers late, from August into October, when many summer flowers are already past their best.
• The flowers smell wonderful, especially in the evening: grow it near a terrace or seating area.
• An elegant cut flower: in the vase the buds on a stem open one after another.
• Takes up little room: between other plants in a border or in a pot on the patio.
• The corms are easy to store, so you can enjoy it year after year.

Abyssinian gladiolus: where does it grow best?

• Full sun and a warm, sheltered spot, for example in front of a south-facing wall: the warmer the summer, the better the flowering.
• Light, free-draining soil: sand or loam, neutral to chalky. In heavy, wet clay the corms rot.
• Moderately moist soil: water regularly in summer, but never let it sit wet.
• Plant in groups of at least ten corms, 10–15 cm apart.
• A pot 30 cm across holds 8–10 corms; use potting compost with some grit added.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.9 m tall, 0.15 m wide

Hardiness

Half hardy (to -5 °C): protect it in harsh winters

Goes well with

• Purpletop vervain: Airy purple flower heads that bloom just as late and set off the white stars beautifully.
• Ornamental grasses: Fountain grass or feather grass adds movement and a soft backdrop for the arching flowers.
• Dahlia: Flowers at the same time, wants the same warm spot and is also lifted in autumn.
• Cosmos: An airy annual that flowers until the frosts, lovely in white or pink.
• Lavender: Silver-grey leaves and scent at the front of the border, in the same sunny spot.

Abyssinian gladiolus: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

1. Plant outdoors from late April to late May, once the soil has warmed up. For earlier flowers, start the corms indoors in small pots in April.
2. Loosen the soil well and on heavy ground mix some grit or fine gravel into the planting hole.
3. Plant the corms 8–10 cm deep, pointed end up.
4. Space them 10–15 cm apart and plant in loose groups rather than in a row.
5. Water after planting and keep the soil slightly moist until the first leaves appear.
6. A thin mulch of compost keeps the soil evenly moist in summer.

Care

Water

Water regularly in dry spells, especially from July when the flower stems are growing. Check pots almost daily in summer.

Feeding

Feed plants in pots every two weeks from June with a liquid fertiliser for flowering plants. In the border, compost at planting time is enough.

Support

In a windy spot a thin cane or the support of neighbouring plants stops the stems from flopping.

Deadheading

Cut off faded stems, but leave the leaves until they turn yellow: they feed the new corm.

Cutting

Cut a stem when the lowest bud shows colour; the other buds will still open in the vase.

Tip: Plant the corms in two or three batches, from late April to late May, to make flowering last longer. Put a pot right next to your seating area so you can enjoy the scent in the evening.

Abyssinian gladiolus: when to prune it?

When: The Abyssinian gladiolus is not pruned. You only cut off faded flower stems and remove the leaves when lifting the corms in October.

How:

• Cut faded stems just above the foliage so the plant does not waste energy on seed.
• Keep the leaves green for as long as possible: this gives a strong corm for next year.
• When lifting, cut the leaves back to 2–3 cm above the corm.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cormlets

When you lift the plants, small cormlets sit around the new corm. Store them separately and plant them in a pot or row in spring; after two to three years they are big enough to flower.

Seed

Possible but slow: seedlings take several years to flower and in our short summers the seed rarely ripens. Cormlets are quicker.

Abyssinian gladiolus: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −5 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: the corm tolerates at most a light frost down to about −5 °C and rots in wet winter soil. Lift it in October, before the first hard night frost.
• Leave the corms to dry for two to three weeks in an airy, frost-free place. Then remove the old, shrivelled corm and the soil.
• Store them dry and dark at 10–15 °C, in a paper bag or an open tray.
• A pot can overwinter as it is, dry and frost-free, in a garage or cellar.

Diseases and pests

• Thrips: Silvery flecks and streaks on leaves and flowers, sometimes deformed buds. Cut off affected parts, spray young plants with water and store the corms cool and dry.
• Corm rot: Soft, mouldy or discoloured corms in storage. Dry them well, store them somewhere airy and throw away affected corms straight away.
• No or late flowers: Planted too late, corms too small or too little sun and warmth. Plant on time in the warmest spot, or start the corms early indoors.
• Slugs: They eat the young shoots in May–June. Pick them off in the evening and keep the area around the plants free of hiding places.

Through the year

• January: Check stored corms for rot.
• March: Buy and check corms: they should be firm and dry.
• April: Start corms in small pots indoors for earlier flowers. In late April, plant outdoors in a warm spot.
• May: Plant outdoors, 8–10 cm deep. Watch out for slugs.
• June: Water in dry weather. Feed pots every two weeks.
• July: The flower stems are growing. Water and add support where needed.
• August: Flowering begins. Cut flowers for the vase.
• September: Full flower and scent. Cut off faded stems.
• October: Last flowers. Lift the corms before the first frost and leave them to dry.
• November: Clean the corms, remove the old corm and store dry and frost-free.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of gladiolus are poisonous, especially the corms: they can cause vomiting, drooling and diarrhoea, in children as well as in dogs, cats and horses. Gladioli that you lift in autumn, such as the large-flowered garden gladiolus and acidanthera, are stored frost-free until spring, often in the cellar or garage where the potatoes and onions are kept too: their flat corms with a brown papery skin can then be mistaken for shallots or onions. So store them separately, in a labelled box or bag, out of reach of children and pets. Do not leave corms lying where dogs could find them, and wear gloves when lifting, cleaning and planting them. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• For a long time it had a genus of its own, Acidanthera. It now belongs to Gladiolus, but it is often still sold as acidanthera.
• Its French and English names refer to Abyssinia, the old name for Ethiopia, where the plant grows wild.
• The long, narrow flower tube and the strong evening scent fit pollination by night-flying moths.