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Gladiolus communis subsp. byzantinus AGM

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Characteristics

Plant type

Bulb

Habit

Columnar/Upright

Resilience

Hardiness

old H3-4 (intermediate between H3 and H4)

Colour

Flower

Purple and Red in Spring and Summer

Foliage

Green in Spring and Summer

Size

Ultimate height

0.5-1 metres

Ultimate spread

0-0.1 metre

Time to ultimate height

2-5 years

Preferred common name

Byzantine gladiolus

Family

Iridaceae

Gladiolus are cormous perennials with fans of sword-shaped or linear leaves and spikes of funnel-shaped flowers

G. communis subsp. byzantinus is a perennial to 90cm, growing from a corm, with erect sword-shaped leaves nearly as tall as the flowering stems. Deep red-purple, funnel-shaped flowers 5cm in width, are borne in erect spikes from late spring

Synonym(s)

Gladiolus byzantinus
Gladiolus nanus 'Byzantinus'

Suppliers

Suppliers listed in RHS Plant Finder

Awards

Award of Garden Merit

How to grow

Sunlight

Full sun

Aspect

South-facing, West-facing or East-facing

Sheltered

Cultivation

Plant 10 to 16cm deep on a bed of sharp sand in fertile, well-drained soil. Lift when foliage dies back, discard old corms and store new corms in a dry frost-free place until planting in the spring. In milder areas a thick dry winter mulch may suffice

Soil

Well-drained or Moist but well-drained

Acid, Alkaline or Neutral

Loam, Chalk or Sand

Propagation

Propagate by separating cormlets when dormant

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage/Informal Garden, Flower borders and beds, Wildflower meadow or Cut Flowers

How to care

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Susceptible to thrips, aphids and slugs

Diseases

Susceptible to grey moulds and gladiolus corm rot

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