36 



THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



flower, but it is to be regretted that the number of private exhibitors of so beautiful 

 a flower does not increase ; the principal exhibits being from trade growers. 



The beauty of the gladiolus, with its lasting properties as a cut flower, renders it, 

 however, increasingly popular as a garden plant. In beds, lines, or groups it produces 

 a surpassing effect, and the cheapness of the bulb-like corms of mixed seedlings enables 

 them to be largely used for this purpose, these seedlings, if from a good strain, approach- 

 ing nearly to the qualities desired by the florist. These, condensed from the E.H.S.'s 

 code, may be briefly stated as follows :— 



The flowers must be of good form, large, with substance in the segments ; spike long 

 and symmetrical ; the flowers all facing to the front and at such a distance from each 

 other as just to hide the stem. The colours of the dark flowers ought to be bright and 

 effective and soft, but clear in the light ones. Common defects are spikes showing the 

 stem in the centre, the flowers facing to the sides ; indistinct and faded colours ; flowers 

 with thin and narrow segments, and short crowded spikes. 



The cultivation of the gladiolus is comparatively easy. A good loam inclining to 

 stiffness will produce fine spikes if well prepared by trenching to the depth of 2 feet 

 in the autumn, a good supply of old hot-bed or cow manure being well mixed in the earth. 

 A sanely loam is recommended by some, but modern growers are inclining to the belief 

 that a heavier one is to be preferred. The position should be open and sunny. The 

 corms— popularly known as "bulbs" — can be planted from the beginning of March 

 until the end of May ; although for late planting they must be kept in a cool place. For 

 exhibition it will be found preferable to grow them in lines in beds, but in borders they 

 may be grown in groups of three or more. A depth of 3 inches is that generally 

 practised for planting the corms, which are placed about a foot apart. The bed may 

 be mulched to a depth of 2 or 3 inches with half- decayed manure as soon as the 

 plants are some distance through the surface, and in dry weather the application of 

 liquid manure, when the flowers appear, is beneficial. The plants need also to be staked 

 early. "When the flowers are for exhibition they may be shaded. The best way of 

 doing this is by an oblong box about 2 feet long with a glass front. This is attached 

 to a stake and placed over the spike. A little whiting on the lower part of the glass 

 prevents the flowers at the base from fading before the upper ones are expanded. In 

 cold climates it is often advantageous to start the corms into growth in pots or boxes 

 under glass, planting them out when the spike has grown a few inches. The gladiolus 

 is subject to a disease for which there is no known remedy. 



