Ahh, the best thing about July! Right about the time the first heat wave kicks in...so do the gladiolus in their many colors! These were one of the first flowers I planted last spring, and they have not let me down. Being in zone 8b, I'm used to these as a perennial and learned recently that they are considered annuals in most other areas! (Lucky us!). Unlike most of the flowers in our garden, glads are NOT drought tolerant, and need to be watered weekly....so I planted them not far from my roses, to remind myself. The hummingbirds and the bees ADORE them...and now I just have to make sure to stake them because they are growing *exponentially* with the recent mini heat wave we just had, and will collapse under their own long slender weight out there, particularly if it gets a bit breezy.
Sadly, I didn't pay any attention to the varieties of the four or five different colors in our backyard that I planted, so "purple" and the below "white" is the best I can do. Pink and yellow are coming soon...always a good thing!
Did you know....'gladiolus' means "little sword" and originated in Africa? Now ya do!
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