When to plant gladioli?
- Botanical name
- Gladiolus
- Family
- Iridaceae
Gladioli are planted from April to May. They flower from July to September.
Gladioli are perennial plants. The edible parts are the flowers.
The corm is planted before the danger of frost is past. In the ground frost does it no harm, and the shoots appear only once the frosts are over. In autumn the leaves die at the first frost.
A tall flower stem goes over easily in wind. In light sandy soil the corm is therefore set a little deeper than in loam, so that the stem stands better.
Corms planted in several groups, one after another, bring each group into flower later than the one before, and the flowering in the bed lasts longer.
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Gladioli through the year
- planting
- flowering
In short
Growing conditions
Are gladioli toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes. Toxic to cats and dogs, toxic parts: roots, bulbs and leaves.
Pests and diseases
Listed here is every problem for which the sources name this plant as a host. The problems are not listed in order of how common they are.
- Signs
- Colonies of small aphids sit on the shoot tips and the underside of the leaves. The leaf curls and puckers, and sticky honeydew is left on everything below. The viruses they carry are more dangerous than the feeding itself.
- Prevention
- Go easy on nitrogen, because soft sappy growth is what aphids are looking for. Encourage the predators (ladybirds, lacewings, parasitic wasps). Use a reflective mulch, which puts them off settling, and a strong jet of water to knock the colony off the tips.
- What to do
- Potassium soap works on contact and only while it is wet, so it has to reach the underside of the leaf. On drought-loving plants and in heat it can scorch, so apply it in the evening.
- Signs
- White blotches and streaks show over the leaves and flowers. In a heavy attack the petals turn brown and the buds do not open at all. On stored corms and bulbs there are rough grey brown patches.
- Prevention
- The thrips overwinters on stored corms and bulbs. It is most active from July to September. In a warm room it breeds all year, so keep the store cool.
- What to do
- Put up with light damage, see to a clean lifting and encourage the natural predators.
- Signs
- Holes appear in the middle of the leaf rather than along the edge, young plants are eaten down to the ground, and there are slimy trails in the morning. On low-growing fruit there are gnawed pits.
- Prevention
- Remove the hiding places beside the bed: boards, stones, dense weeds. Water in the morning and not in the evening, so that the night is dry. Spread a band of coarse sand or gravel around the bed. Cover young plants with fleece. Pick them off at night, which is still the most effective measure.
- What to do
- Baits with iron phosphate are held to carry less risk for pets and children. Put them out in bands beside the bed, not scattered over the whole surface.
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Related plants
The plants below are in the same botanical family (Iridaceae).
Sources about the plant: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants, GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, Iowa State University Extension, NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, Royal Horticultural Society, Wikidata. Checked between 14 and 28 August 2026. The problem descriptions also draw on: Clemson Cooperative Extension, University of Maryland Extension, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Utah State University Extension.