SHOWY gladioli make a striking impact in the summer garden, but they’re not the one-hit wonders folks believe them to be, they can be stored over winter to flower again next year.
They are not reliably hard, so leaving them in the ground or pot over winter isn’t a good idea. Instead, lift them from the ground or pots when the leaves start to turn yellow and before any frosts. Early autumn is the time to do this.
Allow the plants to dry out a little on a rack, until the foliage turns brown. Then trim the leaves down to around 5cm. A new corm will be at the top, next to the dead foliage. Keep this and remove the old corm underneath.
Any small new cormlets can be kept for growing on or can be discarded. Store the corms in a cool, dry, frost-free place until spring, when you can replant them for a new summer display. They take about 90 days to flower from planting and can be started off under cover in small pots for planting into the border once the soil warms up or pots.
Author: Jonny
Author of Gardening Life!