THE NEWER GLADIOLUS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXIV, Issue 17664, 13 September 1919, Page 2

THE NEWER GLADIOLUS.

No bulbous-rooted plants have received greater attention from hybridists, particularly French,ones, of late years than the gladiolus, and in none have more remarkable results been achieved, especially in the "Gandavensis" strain. Those newer creations produce long, stout spikes of large perfectlydeveloped flowers, displaying a wonderful diversity of brilliant colour-

ing. If cool storage is available, and the bulbs (conns) judiciously are planted in batches from now till February, the flowering period of the gladiolus in the warmer dis-

tricts can be maintained from October till April. In the colder parts, however, the first batch of bulbs should not be planted before September, ndr the last one later than early November, for there the flowering period of the gladiolus will be limited to midsummer and early autumn. To attain perfection the plants should be grown in a sunny and sheltered situation, in deep, thoroughly worked, rich sandy loam. They do well, and freely produce their showy- flowers, however, on a variety of good, friable soils that have been1 brought to a fine tilth. The ground, if lacking in fertility, should be enriched with decayed manure from the cow yard, a light dressing of bonedust should be added, and these fertilisers should be thoroughly dug in and well mixed with the soil. ' On no account should fresh 'manure be used, especially that from the stables, for in that gladioli will not thrive. These plants when in bloom produce the most gorgeous effect in colouring when growing in masses or in rows. If cultivated in this way the largersized bulbs should be planted from 12 to 18 inches apart, and left covered with soil to the depth of four inches^ and even ,more during the hottef months. Smaller bulbs will not require so much room, nor such deep planting. Gladioli can hardly be misplaced in the garden, and the bplbs, if planted singly at intervals in the borders, will produce a fine effect during the flowering season, and add considerably to the attractiveness of their surroundings. A few of the newer creations of the "Gandavensis" strain, with the olours of their flowers, are included in the following list:—Albert 1., whitish ground, with slightly striped ,pale rose edges; Alcazar, rose suffused with amaranth, with a red blotch on the lower petal; Dorothea, lilac flamed with carmine; Golden j Ray, pale yellow, with a dark blotch in the centre; iuercules, brilliant scarlet; flamed with orange red, and violet blotch; Madame de Vilmorin, pale rose, striped with carmine; Sa- | f rano, nankeen yellow, with red centre;' Semaphore, pale carmine, ,' darker at the edges, with a large sulphur blotch; and Triton, salmon red, with white throat. j

If the spikes of gladioli are cut when the first flowers expand, the i remaining buds will develop into fine blooms if the stems are kept in water. Used in this v/ay they af c unrivalled for indoor decorationThe dwarf gladiolus colvillei and its charming varieties are well worth including in any collection. Their graceful spikes of pure white, ros3, and purple flowers are very attractive. They do not require as much room as those just referred to, but thrive under similar cultural conditions.