Gladioli are elegant flowers. They fit harmoniously into various landscape designs. They are often called swordweeds because their stems and foliage resemble bladed weapons. To beautifully place them on your garden plot, you need to figure out: what to plant next to the gladioli, what shape and type of flower bed to choose for them, and in what place to plant them. This is exactly what this article will discuss.
How to choose a landing site
The decorative characteristics of the fennel tree depend on where it is planted. This plant is very demanding in terms of maintenance conditions, so the planting site is chosen carefully.
Important : gladioli love the sun. In the shade, their flowers become small and do not acquire a rich color.
Gladioli love fertile soil. Their bulbs are planted in black soil. Skewers do not like wind or drafts. When they gust, the fragile stems bend towards the ground. If the flowerbed is located on a slope, dwarf trees and shrubs are planted around it. It is better to choose places for gladioli near the walls of buildings, fences, and gazebos.
Important : trees closer than 5 meters should not be planted next to gladioli. They will take nutrients and moisture from the soil.
When choosing a place for planting, soil moisture is taken into account. In very wet soil, the bulbs begin to rot. The territory is selected with flat terrain or slight slopes. When planting fennel in a lowland, a good drainage system is built. Gladioli are not planted in one place every year. They leave behind infections in the soil, leading to plant diseases. It is not recommended to plant gladioli in places where they were previously grown: potatoes, carrots, beets. If marigolds, dahlias, and zinnias previously bloomed in the flowerbed, this is an ideal place for the sword.
Planting in open ground
In the central zone, gladioli are planted in mid-May. In the southern regions, the procedure should be postponed for 2 weeks, in the Urals - closer to the end of the month, in Siberia - the beginning of June. The indicator for planting is that the soil temperature will warm up above 10 C. An outdoor thermometer is buried to a depth of 10 cm and left for 30 minutes.
Gladioli are planted in a common beard or in separate holes. The parameters of the hole depend on the size of the tuber, multiplied by 3. To facilitate the transfer of planting material to flower beds, batches of the same diameter are used. The skewer is planted according to the scheme (in cm):
- hole depth - from 10 for small to 20 for large;
- spacing between rows – 30;
- the distance between the trenches is 40.
To prevent large gladioli from falling from the wind, gardeners thicken the crop to 15 cm. The planting strip is first shed with warm water or a fungicide solution. In the southern regions, a layer of sphagnum moss is placed at the bottom of the holes; in temperate and cold climates, the bulbs are grown in river sand. The thickness of the lower tier is 2-3 cm. The tubers are placed in the hole with the sprouts facing up. Soil is poured on top, mulched with peat (humus) and carefully irrigated.
Planting flowers Source yandex.ua
Neighborhood choice, beautiful combinations
Gladioli have a non-standard flower shape, and it is difficult for them to find companions. Therefore, they are planted mainly solo. If you really want to choose neighbors, attention is paid to the living conditions of different crops.
monoflower
Skewers do not have to be combined with other plants. They are beautiful in their own right. Thanks to the wide variety of colors, monoflower beds look very original. They can be made in soft and pastel colors or contrasting ones.
Important : it is not recommended to use too many different shades in one flower bed. This will not make her look elegant, but she will take on a sloppy appearance. It is better to choose 2-4 primary colors.
Flowers are neighbors
Gladiolus is a rather capricious flower and is usually planted in groups of several varieties, distinguished by color, texture and flowering time.
But for all his capricious nature, he may have many neighbors. It gets along well with other bulbous flowers such as daffodils and tulips.
Among the annuals, tobacco, snapdragons, marigolds, pyrethrum, bindweed and others can become friends. Perennial plants such as aster, oregano, spirea, barberry and sage are also friends with it.
What plants can be a background for fencing
Many people are interested in how to beautifully plant gladioli in their summer cottage? To do this, they can be planted in rows along paths or fences. But it is not recommended to do more than 6 rows. These flowers will look beautiful at the entrance to the house, near the front area at the entrance, or as borders.
Evergreen ornamental shrubs are chosen as a background for them: junipers, thujas, spruces. The elegance of the fennel is emphasized by the kochia and castor beans planted behind them.
Hostas as an option for planting gladioli in a flower bed. They will visually highlight the decorative qualities of gladioli, and hide their not very attractive bottom with spreading leaves. Hosta hybrids with curly edges and leaves with white or yellow veins look especially aesthetically pleasing.
Flowerbed of continuous flowering
A flowerbed for continuous flowering gladioli can be:
- early;
- average;
- late.
In some varieties, buds appear after two months, in others - after three. If you choose the right varieties, you will be able to create an original flowerbed of continuous flowering, which will delight you with bright colors all summer long.
They can be planted in a flower bed with other plants. For example, in early spring the following flowers bloom: daffodils, tulips, hyacinths. In autumn - chrysanthemums, asters.
Important : with the beginning of autumn, all flowers are dug out of the flowerbed.
Combination with annuals
Every autumn, gladioli are dug out of the ground, and in the spring they are planted again in flower beds. Therefore, it is customary to combine them with annuals. To make the skewer expressive, annuals are planted in the flower garden as an edging. What do gladioli go with? A good option would be: marigolds, pansies, sweet tobacco, zinnias, bindweed.
Attention : it is recommended to plant low-growing or dwarf annuals with a height of 15 to 40 cm with fennel.
With perennials
A flower garden with gladioli will turn out beautiful if it is diversified with such perennials as: rudbeckia, echinacea, and sedum. Echinacea forms a bright and rich carpet of various shades. Simple varieties of echinacea look good as an elegant carpet, and terry varieties are used to decorate borders.
Combination of gladiolus with interior items and other plants
Gladioli are usually planted in a flower bed, in rockeries, and mixborders. Low-growing species are also good in containers and flowerpots, used as potted crops in winter gardens and summer compositions.
Planting a large group of royal flowers can cause some chaos in the flowerbed, which will lose its expressiveness.
Skewer in a flowerpot:
- decorate the flight of stairs;
- will mask a façade defect;
- will become the accent of the flower garden;
- will perform the function of a tapeworm on the ground lawn.
Proper observance of proportions between gladioli and other surrounding vegetation will help to obtain a harmonious composition in landscape design.
Planting in containers is practiced in dachas and open terraces to divide the recreation area into a solarium and a barbecue area. Gladioli often decorate the blind areas of cafes and restaurants and add lush greenery to the city landscape. The root part is decorated with:
- expanded clay;
- small pebbles;
- colored gravel of decorative rocks;
- shells;
- multi-colored shell;
- coconut fiber.
There are many options for combining a flower when it will look beneficial in the overall landscape design picture.
In constantly flowering mixborders, the skewer is placed behind the spring flower crops:
- tender crocuses;
- variegated low-growing primroses;
- a variety of daffodils;
- tulips;
- bearded irises.
Gladiolus received its second name “sword knife” due to its unusual shape, which vaguely resembles a sharp sword.
When the bulbous crops grow, the gladiolus only gains strength and sends out an arrow. Later, the center of the composition becomes perennials planted in the foreground: peonies, daylilies, beardless irises of various colors, low summer phlox. At this time, the sword forms a dense green wall, a perspective background, a background.
The flowers belong to the iris family and are a perennial corm plant.
In autumn, the flower will harmoniously combine only with caps of asters, medium-sized chrysanthemums, and small contrasting dahlias used for border decoration. Bright dahlias and gladioli in mixborders and rockeries are incompatible; the composition will turn out tasteless and tacky. Flowers will compete for primacy in the flowerbed.
Depending on the variety, the period between planting and the formation of buds lasts from 70 to 95 days.
A good complement to gladioli in rock gardens is juniper placed behind the plantings. Neighborhood with ornamental herbal crops is welcome:
- variegated Iberis;
- dark thyme;
- carved Dubrovnik;
- bluish fescue;
- light sandy grate;
- openwork yarrow;
- succulent hostas and heucheras;
- silver beetle (rabbit ears);
- other non-flowering plants.
Snapdragons, small marigolds, ageratums, and lubularia are used as backgrounds. The list goes on. Various combinations of gladioli in the garden are possible; the photo shows the design of plots in different styles. The main thing is that the blooming low-growing flowers match the gladiolus buds in shade, be lighter or darker in the same color scheme, or create a contrast.
The tallest gladioli reach a height of 1.7 m, which is very convenient if you need to create a bright accent in your landscape design.
Note! Combinations of yellow and blue tones always look advantageous; red combines with white, soft blue with purple, lilac, and white.
Soil preparation
Skewer is very picky about the composition of the soil. He needs nutritious and fertile land. Therefore, in the fall, various organic fertilizers are added to the soil: manure, humus, rotted sawdust. The soil should also be enriched with minerals. They are also introduced into the soil in the fall for digging.
Attention: nitrogen fertilizers are not used in winter.
Preparing the bulbs
Planting material is selected young. They must be protected from diseases. To do this, the bulbs are soaked for several hours in a fungicide solution. In order for gladioli to take root better and grow faster, the bulbs are germinated in advance. To do this, take a tray with wet sand and place the bulbs in it. When the sand dries, it is moistened with a spray bottle. When 3 cm shoots appear on the bulbs, they can be planted in the beds.
How to plant gladioli correctly
The beauty and aesthetics of landscape design depends on compliance with the rules of plant agricultural technology. To grow skewer, you need to process and plant the bulbs in time. There are methods that will make it easier to grow ornamental crops.
Soil preparation
Gladioli are very demanding on soil quality. To restore the fertility of the land, nutrients are needed. Organic matter introduced during the winter gradually decomposes, creating conditions for the development of soil microorganisms. Fresh chicken droppings, manure or humus (6 kg per m2) are used for autumn digging.
Flowers with decorative foliage species Source babyblog.ru
You can enrich the soil with rotted sawdust, hay or straw. The raw materials are used for winter mulching of gladioli beds. Flower growers consider wood ash to be a good potassium fertilizer. Apply up to 200 g of crushed powder per square area. The fertilizer is distributed evenly to the digging depth.
Planting material Source sdelai-lestnicu.ru
Minerals can be used to enrich the soil for gladioli. Phosphorus species slowly reach the roots, so preparations are applied in the fall. For 1 m2 use 50 g of ordinary superphosphate. Digging additionally requires potassium supplements. Flower growers recommend taking potassium sulfate or potassium magnesia (30 g per m2). Nitrogen fertilizers are not used in winter.
Arranging a flower bed Source ecodacha-nn.ru
Features of seedling cultivation
Swordweeds are very sensitive flowers. If the soil for them is cold and damp, their bulbs will simply rot. Therefore, most gardeners pre-germinate the plant before planting it in the garden. To do this, in March - April, the bulbs are germinated and planted in cups with peat. They are installed on warm window sills and illuminated with a lamp if necessary. The soil in the pots is constantly loosened and watered abundantly. A week later the first fertilizers are applied.
Flowerbed with thujas and hostas
Arborvitae with hostas are suitable even for shady areas. Hosta has very beautiful leaves and rather inconspicuous flowers, so it will not bloom in the shade, but will direct all its strength to the development and nutrition of the leaves.
Hosta looks great with any conifers, including thuja. Tall columnar thujas are planted, and next to them are variegated and light green hostas. Despite its apparent simplicity, hosta leaves look unusually impressive against the backdrop of bright green needles.
Dwarf hostas are planted around the thuja, and a large one, which reaches 0.5 meters, can be placed as a single bush against the backdrop of a tall thuja. The hosta is supplemented with lilies, irises, delphiniums, and gladioli of the appropriate height.
When arranging a rock garden, it is customary to combine dwarf thujas with yellow-leaved hostas up to 20 cm high. They become a beautiful background for flowering plants. Therefore, it is better to place them in the background.
A mixborder, the main element of which is thuja, can be planted around the perimeter with a low hosta (up to 30 m). It looks great in borders without blocking other plants.
How to properly care for flowers
In order for gladioli to look beautiful in the landscape design of a summer cottage, you need to learn how to properly care for them:
- the soil is periodically mulched and loosened;
- the earth should not dry out or overheat;
- Plants are watered once every seven days. In hot weather - after two to three days;
- the soil is weeded from weeds 3-4 times per season;
- mineral and organic fertilizers are applied;
- varieties with large flowers are tied after the buds have set.
Caring for garden gladioli
No less important than planting plants is caring for them. In order for gladioli to actively bloom, you should adhere to some rules of care:
After planting the bulbs, mulch the soil using sawdust, compost or humus. Gladioli need to be watered quite often, but taking into account weather conditions. Recommended watering schedule: 6 times a week
To avoid rotting and the development of fungal diseases, grooves are dug in the inter-row spaces, into which water will then be poured during irrigation. It is important to carry out timely weeding. Slugs often appear in the grass, which have an extremely negative effect on the flowering and growth of the plant. The plant needs to be regularly fed with mineral fertilizers.
It is better to fertilize in small volumes, mixing fertilizer with water. A strong and well-groomed plant will cope better with any diseases. Gladioli are cut with a sharp knife or pruning shears. After the gladiolus has bloomed, the stems are cut off almost to the very root, leaving only a few leaves.
From the moment the first leaves appear, the plant needs high-quality feeding. Experts advise adhering to some rules for applying fertilizers:
- After the first leaves (3-4 pieces) have formed on the flower, it is fed with mineral or organic fertilizers with a high nitrogen content. A good option is liquid chicken manure.
- With the appearance of 5-6 leaves, the flower begins to be fertilized with mineral fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus or potassium substances.
- At the moment of inflorescence formation, the plant is fed with phosphorus-potassium mixtures that stimulate flowering.
- During the period of active flowering, gladioli are fertilized with a solution of wood ash.
Since this type of flower belongs to the category of bulbous, it is bred in 2 ways:
- raised from children;
- divided by onions.
If you want to plant a new variety of flower, it is better to do this by dividing the bulb. The division must be carried out in such a way that a bud remains in each new part.
Examples of using gladioli in garden landscape design
Gladioli in garden design are used solo, in group plantings, mixborders, when decorating borders, and when decorating glacial gardens. They combine well with other crops if they have the right neighbors. Low-growing varieties can be planted in flowerpots and placed along paths and alleys.
Despite the whimsical care, these flowers will decorate any garden with their bright colors and abundant blooms.
To give the flower arrangement elegance and solemnity, varieties with large buds and bright colors are used. For delicate and romantic gardens, monoflower beds in subdued colors are selected. With the right approach to planting and caring for them, they will delight garden owners with rich blooms from early summer until autumn.
We analyze the disadvantages of gladioli
Decorators don’t want to mess with gladioli because:
- due to its high growth and bare lower part, gladiolus needs short companions;
- it is difficult to determine how many gladioli will look most attractive: if you plant several specimens, then the majesty of the flower will be leveled out against the background of other plants, and if you plant a lot of gladioli, the planting will look like a regular plantation;
- careful selection of color combinations is necessary, because the majesty of the flower is lost in the variegation;
- tall gladioli require garters, and supporting structures are rarely attractive;
- In autumn, gladioli are usually dug up, and this is difficult to do without damaging the roots of neighboring plants;
- this plant needs a background that will emphasize and enhance its unusual, solemn beauty;
- gladiolus is decorative only for a few days a season, and then it loses its attractiveness, and ideally it should be cut off without allowing it to bloom completely so that the bulb has time to gain strength for successful flowering next year;
- Gladiolus varieties differ not only in the color of the flowers, but also in their size, as well as the height of the bush and the timing of flowering.
How to choose the right onion - buy the right one
For anyone who knows these features of gladiolus, it will not be difficult to make advantages out of them.
- Tips for growing gatsania from seeds
Part 3. Digging and storing gladioli bulbs
Step 1
Before the first frost, dig up gladioli bulbs to store them. Do this carefully so as not to damage the planting material.
Step 2
Lightly shake off the soil from the bulbs and dry them in a warm and well-ventilated area for 2-3 weeks.
Step 3
Use your hands to clean the remaining dry soil from the bulbs (now this is easier to do), separate the baby.
Step 4
Sort your gladioli bulbs by quality and size. This will help you quickly deal with planting material in the new season. Discard damaged, diseased and suspicious bulbs immediately.
Sort the baby bulbs by variety and place them separately from the adult bulbs. In the first year, baby gladioli will not bloom, so it is better to plant them separately.
Step 5
Send the baby and gladioli bulbs for storage. To do this, sprinkle them with insecticides and place them in a dark and well-ventilated place where they will not freeze in winter. If you do not have a cellar or basement, you can put gladioli planting material in the refrigerator.
We hope that our detailed material will help you grow healthy and beautifully blooming gladioli year after year. If you follow all the instructions, even a beginner can grow these wonderful flowers.
Source
What flowers to plant in a flower garden next to gladioli: 5 best ideas with photos
Gladiolus is an attractive flower that cannot be ignored. When placed in groups, these tall beauties occupy leading positions in the flower garden, but combining them with other flowering plants can be difficult. Companions to tall, noble flowers include plants that will not dominate with the beauty or brightness of their flowers. When planted alone in a flower garden, gladiolus loses its attractiveness, and an excessively large number of them creates the impression of a commercial plantation. The best option is to plant 7–10 bulbs next to each other. The rest of the flower garden space is filled with more modest plant species, the different flowering times of which will help the flower bed look beautiful throughout the summer season.
What kind of neighborhood will gladioli not tolerate?
When choosing which flowers to plant gladioli in a flower bed, remember: there are types of flowers next to which tall arrows of flowers look out of place.
Photo: plants that do not go well with gladiolus
Experienced gardeners recommend not planting perennial plants next to gladioli, but giving preference to annuals. This is due to the fact that the root system of perennials will make it difficult to dig up the bulbs. Perennials can be planted nearby only if you do not plan to dig up the bulbs, or if your gladioli grow separately, in special baskets.
Blooming gladiolus is beautiful and self-sufficient; it looks great as a soloist in a flower garden. If you are a lover of this tall plant, try to choose worthy companions for it so that the flowerbed looks aesthetically pleasing throughout the summer season. In early spring, daffodils, tulips, and primrose will look appropriate next to the growing gladiolus. In mid-summer, the blooming of dahlias or roses will complement the beauty of noble flowers, and in August the baton will be picked up by sedum or aster. Don't be afraid to experiment and let your flower beds be the most attractive!
Source
We are looking for suitable “companions” in the flowerbed
Gladioli are a rather complex plant in terms of creating flower arrangements. A large number of plants gives the garden a neglected look, and single flowers look dull.
However, by skillfully combining gladioli with other flowers, you can create amazingly beautiful compositions. Gladioli are surrounded by those flowers that are ready to provide beauty to the flowerbed at any time.
These flowers include tulips, daffodils, and peonies.
You should not plant gladioli and dahlias next to each other, they will shade each other. Tall dahlias and low-growing plants are successfully combined. To make a flower bed of gladioli look organic, you can plant several bulbs at the same time. Flowers in contrasting shades look good.
For a flowerbed, 3 different varieties will be enough. You should not combine small-flowered and large-flowered plants.
Varietal and species diversity
Modern types of gladioli are mainly represented by hybrids, but there are also wild specimens. At the present stage, experts count about five thousand varieties of swords. Moreover, the lifespan of a variety can be limited to ten, and sometimes last up to thirty years.
The main varieties of swords are called:
- white specimens (Blue Snowflakes, Dmitry Solunsky, Moscow Belokamennaya);
- yellow (Mon Amour, Golden Bells, Safari);
- red (Oscar, Dragon Pearl, Russian Knight);
- violet-lilac (Waterfall Spray, Neon Lightning, Violetta).
Swamp gladiolus, Byzantine gladiolus and Kochi gladiolus, common and sowing gladiolus, as well as imbricated gladiolus are widely known in the arrangement of rock gardens and spaces near water bodies. All of these species are classified as wild.
