Unusual Varieties of Gladiolus

Modern Summer Hybrids

• Modern summer hybrid glads or Grandiflora grow larger than the species glads with up to 40 flowers per spike with over 5-inch flowers on some varieties. The ruffling and color of the modern summer hybrids continues to bring unsurpassed varieties. For instance, the Green Star Grandiflora Gladiolus has lime green flowers with ruffled edges. Another spectacular glad of this variety is the Passos, which has orchid-like blooms of dark violet with violet streaking to the white edges.

South African Gladiolus

• Gladioli are native to South Africa. With both winter and summer bloom, gladioli appear in gardens throughout the year in the southern hemisphere. A particularly eye-catching variety is the Gladiolus alatus. It has short spikes of approximately 7 inches with large hood flowers consisting of orange and green petals. In addition, high on the cliffs of the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa grows the unusual, vibrant Gladiolus flanaganii or Suicide Lily, so called because of the danger in scaling the mountainside in order to see it. Fortunately for gardeners today, the Suicide Lily, a brilliant red glad with spiked petals is available through growers.

Miniature Gladiolus

• If space is an issue, miniature gladioli are the answer. Growing up to 2 feet high, miniature gladiolus, such as the Glamini Gladiolus Emily or Naomi, add a startling pop of color inside the home. Emily has light pink and bright red flowers with petals that curl back at the edges, while Naomi sports blossoms of purple with white centers. During warm weather, Glamini Gladioli do well in full sun.

Butterfly Gladiolus

• Gladiolus papilio or Butterfly gladiolus do not resemble the common idea of a gladiolus. This particular variety of gladiolus grows in most any type of soil. The Butterfly glad has a tall stem of over 3 feet with funnel-shaped, mauve flowers. Inside the flowers is a deep maroon and gold.