Gardening : Plant Bulbs Now for a Glad Spring, Summer
It may be hard to visualize glorious gladiolus in the gray of winter, but if you want a spectacular bloom for spring or summer, now is the time to get started.
And there is no better place to begin than with Sunday’s gladiolus bulb sale at Los Angeles Arboretum. The sale is sponsored by the Southern California Gladiolus Society and will offer gardeners a cornucopia of prime glad bulbs.
According to Henry Wagner, a longtime member of the society and a consistent gladiolus show winner, gladiolus offers the gardener the most spectacular color range of any flower species.
Wagner said the color range virtually runs the spectrum from white to black, with a rainbow of colors in between, including shades of green and blue. Wait a minute! Black glads? Well, almost black. They are actually an intensely deep shade of red that gives the appearance of black, Wagner said. And many varieties feature blooms that are bicolored or tricolored.
Wagner said gladiolus is easy to grow and ranks among the most versatile of all flowers.
The bold and dramatic flower spikes, with their multitude of blooms, are the backbone of many floral arrangements. According to Wagner, gladiolus is the bread and butter of florists and provides marvelous cut flowers for home use. Its lasting qualities are legend--up to two weeks in home floral arrangements if properly cared for. In the garden, gladiolus adds dramatic color to borders and beds. Miniature varieties can also be grown with great success in containers.
For 25 years the Southern California Gladiolus Society has sponsored an annual bulb sale at the arboretum. And the sale is not strictly to raise funds--it is also a chance to acquaint the gardening public with this glorious flower.
Wagner said there are several advantages in purchasing gladiolus bulbs at the sale. There is a tremendous selection from thousands of bulbs. And each variety sold is illustrated in full bloom color so you will know what to expect from a particular bulb. The many varieties that are offered reflect an emphasis on both home and show-quality varieties. The bulbs are sold by society members, who will give you a pamphlet on growing gladiolus. They will also take time to answer your questions about glads. And last but not least, the society’s bulbs are very reasonably priced.
Wagner said varieties of large and miniature gladiolus will be available at the sale. He said that large varieties have large blooms, typically reaching 3 1/2 to 5 inches across, but sometimes reaching 7 inches. Miniatures feature blooms that typically reach 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches across. Plants of large varieties average 5 feet in height, but can grow to 7 feet. Plants of miniatures average 3 1/2 feet in height.
As to specific varieties, Wagner said that the sale will feature a number of brand-new 1990 introductions, including the marvelous new Pink-A-Boo, which has heavily ruffled blooms shaded pink to red.
Since Wagner has won a number of grand championships at shows with his glads, we asked him to name some of his favorites that will be available at the sale. They include:
* Polar Bear--a heavily ruffled large variety with pure white blooms.
* Chocolate Ripple--a large variety with smoky, reddish-brown blooms with silver veins. At the society’s annual show, this was the people’s choice three years in a row.
* Green Beret--a large variety that features spectacular spikes of medium-green-colored blooms borne on dark-green plants. Wagner won several grand championships with Green Beret.
* Amy Beth--a miniature variety with lavishly ruffled blooms. Color is lavender, blending to a creamy white. Judged best of the miniature types at several shows.
* La Petite--a delicate miniature variety. The small blooms are yellow, tipped with orange-scarlet.
* Black Lash--a miniature featuring dramatic deep-red blooms that have the appearance of being black. Always judged one of the champions at shows across the country.
Wagner said these varieties aren’t always grown for show purposes; they are beautiful in the home garden too.
Bulbs may be planted from now through April in most of the Southland. Depending on variety and weather conditions, it takes from 60 to 120 days after bulbs are planted for the plants to flower. The average is about 85 days.
Choose a sunny planting site and prepare the soil by working in generous amounts of compost, peat or other organic materials. Never use steer manure. The soil must be conditioned so that it drains well.
Plant the bulbs about six inches deep, spacing them six inches apart. The soil should be kept moist, but never soggy. Gladiolus doesn’t require much fertilizer. Wagner feeds his with a very light application of a 5-10-10 fertilizer when the plants break the surface of the soil, and again when the flower head starts to form in the center of the plant.
Wagner said the most critical factor in growing gladiolus is water. It absolutely must have an ample water supply, at least one inch of water per week.
The Southern California Gladiolus Society Bulbs Sale is at the Los Angeles Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia; phone (818) 446-8251. It starts at 9 a.m. and lasts until the bulbs are sold out, about 4:30 p.m. The sale will be held in the lecture hall.
