It’s a family joke that the OH likes gladioli and I don’t. On (rare) occasion he will buy me gladioli as cut flowers just to see my reaction, which I’m afraid is never positive.
However, my view towards ‘gladdies’ has softened somewhat since coming to the island, as we have inherited the species gladioli, Gladioli byzantinus, (shown here with my Melianthus Major in May last year). These flowers are rather more dainty and airy and also fill a slightly difficult gap after the tulips have finished flowering, and as a result I’m seriously thinking of planting some in the Swing Beds for next year.
Clearly, the top photo does not show Gladioli byzantinus, but instead Gladiolus Black Star, bought as corms by me this year, for the new Mid Century Bed. To be honest they were a bit of a joke – I stumbled across them in the garden centre and bought them to charm the husband (whilst also thinking they’d suit the ‘bruised’ colour palette I had in mind for that bed).
They were duly planted in early March, and before too long the strap like leaves were showing as healthy clumps at the back of the border, but whilst the Ranunculus planted at the same time came and went, still there were no flower spikes. I thought perhaps they’d take a year to settle in, and was quietly a little relieved. Phew.
And then there they were, multiple flower spikes all along the bed, there was no escape, they were coming. And here they are:
I have to admire their sheer scale and majesty, and the colour is fabulous. But do I actually like them? Hmmm. What do you think?
And to finish, a correction. Blogging has got a little more complicated since I’ve been back at work and I’m quite often blogging when I’m not even at home, accessing photos taken a day or so earlier. But to confuse this, in last week’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day,
with this
really was inexcusable.
The first photo actually shows my Centaurea cyanus Black Boy, not a Dianthus at all, whilst the second is Dianthus barbatus Sooty, also grown from seed, but not exactly flowering yet. Sorry!
I think I’d better go and edit it out…
Duver Diary 
I love the deep colour of your gladiolus, but I am not really sure if I like gladiolus either, in the garden anyway. I do like them in a vase as they make a spectacular arrangement. Have you ever grown Acidanthera (Gladiolus callianthus). They are gorgeous and very dainty. The problem I have though is that I only ever get one or two flowers from a load of bulbs and also it is too cold up here to leave them in the ground over winter. Otherwise I would grow them all the time.
I’ve thought about Acidanthera. Is it right they have a scent too?
I believe so, but I don’t remember smelling very much from the one or two blooms I had.
These are lovely. I really like your Gladiolus Black Star.
Great gladdy. Great colours and great scot how do you manage to blog and work at the same time? no wonder you had a mix up!
Thanks Dorris. All utter chaos really, but would miss my ‘blog buddies’ if I gave up. And also, as my memory fades it’s a good to know where I’ve written stuff down 😉
Been blogging?
All gone a bit pear shaped here with jaunt to Amsterdam with the newly adult daughter and then a 60th in London this weekend.
However finally posted my belated end of month view at midnight last night, so hopefully I’m back!
Great stuff! Glad your are back
I did notice the black cornflower labelled as Dianthus ‘ Sooty’ but I thought perhaps the Dianthus had failed and you thought the Cornflower was a Dianthus. I thought it would be rude to disillusion you.
Ha, I knew you would have spotted it. Silly me!
By the way, I have grown gladdies for the first time this year after disliking them intensely. How odd, perhaps it is some weird gladdy disease we caught from blogging.
That’s a bit frightening! I’ll know there’s something going on if I start falling for Azaleas, Rhodos and Camellias. Just not my thing. But then I would have said that about the gladdies….
I like the colour. I don’t like gladiolis in general (too rigid) , but I do plant a few G. byzantinus every year and last year G. ‘Black Star’, which turned out to be a real star.
I agree – it is something about their stiffness. I generally prefer ‘wafty’ plants, but how does that include roses which I also love? Ah well, rules are made for breaking 🙂
Yes, this love/hate relationship with gladioli is interesting as I insisted on a red one as the star of my bouquet when I got married for the first time in 1976 but I certainly don’t want to be growing them now, well certainly not the big ones. And, yes, it’s to do with the stiffness I think. I don’t mind the byzantinus/colvillei ones though and have The Bride (tee hee – that’s ironic, I have just realised!)
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