Gladiolus Byzantinus Bulbs, PERENNIAL FLOWERS

Graceful, vibrant, and hardy to the northern reaches of zone 6, the wild Gladiolus is one of the most exciting plants ,fabulous, perennial Byzantine glad back into gardens across the country

What’s So Fabulous About It?

Gladiolus byzantinus . With small, elegant blooms of vibrant cerise ,it looks more like an orchid , Surprisingly hardy,  It never needs staking, and it increases year after year into ever-larger and more beautiful clumps, as any good perennial should.

Hardy and Prized in 39 States 

Though best known in the South where it’s a cherished passalong plant, Gladiolus byzantinus thrives today for our customers in 39 states, from coastal Maine to southern California. Christopher Lloyd loved it, Allan Armitage praises it, and it grows today at public gardens as diverse as Colonial Williamsburg and the Denver Botanic Garden.

It’s tough and easy, doing best in full sun and well-drained soil, though in dryer areas it also thrives in heavy clay. The corms are smaller than those of modern glads, and they’re planted in the fall. Narrow foliage emerges in the spring and even in bud the plant is beautiful, with wiry, arching stems and 10-12 dark, pointed buds that jut forward eagerly. The flowers open in earliest summer along with roses, iris, peonies, and many other traditional perennials. Shortly after flowering the leaves wither as the bulbs go dormant for the summer. Though they might prefer the dry soils of their native Turkey during their summer rest, Byzantine glads handle the well-watered soils of most US gardens with ease.