E. B. COX & Co, Seedsmen, Etc., corner Rundle Street and East Terrace. 
May Number of 
1907 
The Nugtralian Gardener. 
The Gladiolus. 
By J. Cronin. 
Gladiolus is a genious of bulbous root- 
ing, prennial plants, chiefly found native 
in South Africa. Some few species have 
been discovered in South and Hast Europe 
and West Asia, but the majority, and the 
most important, are natives of Cape of 
Good Hope. The original species are 
rarely found growing 1n gardens, except in 
botanical collections, having been super: 
seded by hybrid varieties of superior 
character as ornamental plants. During 
the last fifty years hybridizers in various 
parts of Europe, and latterly in England 
and America, have paid special attention 
to the gladiolus, and have produced varie- 
ties of a greater diversity of colour in the 
flowers, larger individual and finer marked 
flowers, and more robust aud larger spikes. 
There are several recognised types, noted 
for some distinctive marking : r character- 
istic, among the most importent being the 
early flowering section, a hardy type that 
will endure sevére frost: Lemoinei, red 
and yellow varieties with a large, purplish 
blotch on the lower segments vf the flowers 
Childsii, an American raised type, with 
flowers of great size and bright colour: 
and Kelwayi, an English strain producing 
large spikes of finely coloured flowers 
Many of the finer new varities ure raised 
from Gandavensis and Nancieanus, both 
hybrid types, of which improved varieties 
are also being raised. The range of coloar 
embraces almost all shades of white, 
crimson, yellow, and purple, many kinds 
being finely “blotched or marked with 
other colours. 
The gladiolus is one of the most effec- 
tive plants for garden display in mixed 
groups of plants, the bold bright flower— 
porae on long spikes, and lanceolate leaves 
—harmonizing with most types of foliage 
The flowers are specially useful for cut- 
‘tings, berg highly decorative and easily 
arranged. If the blooms expand during 
hot, dry weather they do not last well, but 
the spike may be cut when the lower 
plooms are opening, and if placed in water 
jn a well lighted room every bud on the 
apike will expand. The course usually 
adopted by florists is to cut the spikes, 
and place them in water on the apjear- 
ance of the first flowers, and hasten or 
retard the opening of the blooms by ad- 
= itting, or preventing admission of light, 
The most suitable soil is a rich friable 
well'drained loam, although the plants 
will succeed fairly in heavy clay, or light 
saudy soil, if well drained. ‘The soil 
should be deeply worked and manured. 
Well de ayed horse or cow manure is 
suitable, but no manure should be allowed 
to come in contact with the bulbs. For 
the production of exhibition flowers 
specially prepared ‘eds are n-cessary 
These should be in a fairly open position, 
sheltered if possible from north winds, 
but not over-shadowed or invaded by roots 
of large trees. Special attention to the 
manuring and working of the beds prior 
to planting will be compensated by speci 
ally fine spikes of bloom in season. ‘The 
bulks of early varieties, of which “The 
Bride” isan example, may be planted 
during autumn in clumps or patches in 
the mixed borders, or in separate rows if 
grown in quantity. The bulbs of this 
class are small, and should’ be planted at 
a depth of about four inches. These may 
be left undisturbed for several years, in 
which case slightly deeper planting is ad- 
visable. About three inches apart in the 
cluinps is a sufficient distance to plant. 
The Lemoinei varieties succeed the early 
kinds, and if planted during August or 
September will bloom about the end of 
December. ‘They will well repay special 
treatment, and as they make their growth 
and bloom during dry weather, as a rule 
require a fair amount of manure and 
water. The bulbs of this section should 
be planted at a depth of six inches. and 
should be lifted annually. The larger 
towering kinds may be planted at varying 
periods from november to January. The 
bulbs of theso should be planted about _ 
ove fuot apart and at a deptn of about 
nine inches, when grown in beds for exhi- 
bition. About two feet should be allowed 
between jeach row of bulbs. The beds 
should be mulched, and when the flower 
spikes appear the plants should receive a 
good supply of water if tie weather is dry 
and hot, ‘Lhe plants should be staked 
as a protection against heavy winds. After 
the flowers are cut the usual practice 1s to 
let the plants finish their development 
without further cultivation. ‘This prac- 
tice is wrong, and is the principal cause of 
degeneracy in gladioli. The beds should 
be cultivated, and the plants kept green as 
long as possible, to ensure a thorough de- 
velopment of the bulbs for the following 
season. After the plants die down, the 
bulbs should be lifted and stored in a cool 
dry place until the next planting season. 
Although the gladiolus is usually termed 
a bulb, it is really a corm, ie., a solid 
bulbous root bearing a surface bud, new 
corins being producee on top of the old 
ones. As these corms increase they should 
be divided. They are also increased from 
the small bulbils that are produced at the 
base of the old corms, or at the ends of 
roots in some kinds. These should all be 
saved and rowed out separately in season 
when the largest will probaby bloom the 
same year, and the remainder the follow- 
ing season, They will be identica! with 
the parent varietiss. New varieties are 
raised from seeds. Seeds should be saved 
from the finest varieties, cross - fertilized 
with the pollen of other fine distinctive 
kinds. Seeds should be sown in spring in 
beds or boxes of light snil, where they may 
be grown for the first season, afterwards 
being lifted and treated as the bulblets. 
Many will bloom during the second season 
after sowing the seeds. 
A nuwber of hybrid varieties is annually 
raised from. seeds, and distributed when 
when proved to be meritorious. There 
is, however, no check on the nomenclature 
of the gladiolus, as in the case of the 
rose, chrysantemum, etc. A fair collection 
should include the Lemoinei,. Childsiis 
Nancieanus, Kelwayi, and Gandavensi 
types. 
W. H. Coats & Son 
Fruitgrowers 
And Wholesale Exporters. 
East Bnd Market . Adelaide 
EXPORTERS and Importers of 
Fresh Fruit 
Agents for Renmark Fruits and Dried 
Fruits 
Also for Terry’s Jams and Preserves. 
Fresh. Fruit and Vegetables 
packed and forwarded to all 
parts of the State at lowest — 
rates from oarown garden — 
Tronbank. 
