How to grow Gladioli in the UK
Tall spikes of flowers - plant a few every couple of weeks for flowers all summer.
- DifficultyEasy peasy
- WhereBeds or Pots
- Sunfull sun
- Grows to100cm
- Spacing15cm
- Time to first pickabout 14 weeks
- Typebulb
When to sow, plant and harvest gladioli
| Plant | early April to late May |
|---|---|
| In flower | mid July to late September |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Planting it
- Dig a hole to a depth of 10cm
- Set each one in with the pointy end (or the shoots) facing up
- Space them 15cm apart each way
- Cover with soil, press down gently and water well
- Push in a label so you don't dig them up by mistake
Top tips for growing gladioli
- Plant corms 10cm deep, in groups.
- Push a cane in to hold the tall spikes up.
Soil and feeding
Poor soil - really!. Nasturtiums flower best in poor soil. Feed them and you get all leaves and no flowers.
Harvesting and eating gladioli
Cut when the bottom flower opens - the rest open in the vase.
Saving your own gladioli seed
They come back every year.
- Leave the leaves to die back naturally - they feed next year's flowers
- Bulbs slowly multiply underground. Every few years, dig up crowded clumps after the leaves die and replant them spread out
Where to buy gladioli plants
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Gladioli questions
When do I plant out gladioli?
Plant gladioli out from early April to late May, once the last frost has passed.
When can I enjoy gladioli?
Gladioli is ready from mid July to late September. Cut when the bottom flower opens - the rest open in the vase.
How long do gladioli take to grow?
Roughly 14 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are gladioli easy to grow?
Gladioli are rated 'easy peasy' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
Start growing - it's free