The gladiolus stands tall on dramatic flower spikes lined with blooms that open from the bottom up. Named for the Latin word for sword, it’s a classic cut flower and a bold vertical accent in the summer garden.
Gladiolus at a glance
- Botanical name: Gladiolus
- Family: Iridaceae
- Bloom season: summer
- Symbolism: strength of character and integrity
About the gladiolus
Gladioli grow from corms and send up sword-shaped leaves and towering flower stalks in nearly every color. Planting corms in batches every couple of weeks gives a long succession of blooms through summer. The gladiolus is the birth flower of August.
Gladiolus meaning and symbolism
The gladiolus symbolizes strength of character, integrity, and sincerity, its sword-shaped leaves lending it associations with honor. It’s August’s birth flower.
Types of gladiolus
Popular varieties worth knowing:
- Grandiflora — the tall, large-flowered classic
- Nanus (dwarf) — shorter, hardier, earlier-blooming
- Primulinus — looser spikes of hooded flowers
- Named color series — reds, pinks, purples, whites, and bicolors
How to grow and care for gladiolus
A few essentials keep this flower thriving:
- Plant corms in spring in full sun and well-drained soil
- Stagger plantings every two weeks for continuous bloom
- Stake the tall spikes to keep them upright
- Water regularly during growth and flowering
- In cold climates, lift and store the corms over winter
Gladiolus FAQs
When do gladiolus bloom?
Gladioli bloom in summer, roughly 60 to 90 days after planting. Staggering the corm plantings every couple of weeks extends the display across the season.
Do gladiolus come back every year?
In warm climates they can return, but in cold-winter areas the corms aren’t hardy and are usually lifted and stored indoors over winter, then replanted in spring.
How do you store gladiolus bulbs?
After the first frost, lift the corms, cure them for a couple of weeks in a dry spot, then store them somewhere cool, dry, and frost-free until spring.
Explore more
Browse more flower profiles, learn about flower meanings, or find your birth flower.