(There are more, but it's time for a break.)
A few years ago, I planted a bag of mixed hybrid gladiolus corms here and there in a couple of flowerbeds. Most of them have petered out, but a few persist. The best of the bunch have been a small clump of them growing right next to the 'Victor' crepe myrtle. They have not only returned year after year, but they've even begun to multiply (slowly).
These are the tall "florist"-style gladiolus. (This year, the tallest flower spikes were about five feet tall.) Because they came in a mixed bag with no further information, I have no way of knowing which named cultivars these are. My best guess is that the yellow-and-orange ones are 'Fiesta' and the white-and-pink ones are 'Priscilla'.
Earlier this year, I blogged about the Gladiolus italicus that were new to the garden. I've also planted some other types of gladiolus, including a sale-priced mix of "hardy glads"/Gladiolus nanus. This was another case of not knowing exactly what cultivars would come in the mixed bag.
So far, two types from this mix have bloomed. Today's post features photos of just one of those-- and it's one I'm not sure I can identify. I think they look a lot like photos of 'Vulcano'-- I think that's the spelling, as opposed to "volcano" with an "o"-- but that's only a guess.
In any case, I think they're absolutely gorgeous. They're significantly shorter and daintier than tall hybrids-- maybe about 2 feet tall. The flowers are so much nicer than those of the Gladiolus italicus. Much larger and more impressive. The only question is how good they'll be about returning next year. I don't intend to lift the corms, so they're on their own. If they return, I might try more varieties of Gladiolus nanus in years to come. If not, at least they were very pretty for this year-- but it's doubtful I'll buy more.
