Why 
Grow Gladiolus? 
1. Like any other flower, for their beauty. 
It is the most popular flower grown. 
3. They have a greater range of color 
than any other flower. 
4. They have more different forms and 
types than any other flower. 
5. They are adaptable to every use for 
which a flower can be used. 
6. You can grow the big ones to beat 
your neighbors or the small ones for 
arrangements and boquets. 
7. You can grow them for shows and win prizes. And it is not difficult to grow show 
specimens. 
8. You can grow them for sale either at a roadside stand or to florists or to your 
acquaintances. Many people have worked up a good business in flowers even in 
small towns. 
9. You can grow them for your own pleasure and gratification. I know of no flower 
that will give you the pleasure that glads can. 
10. They are easy to grow. The main requirement is sun. They will not bloom well 
in the shade nor in wet soggy soil. 
If you already raise glads, you know the pleasure they give. If you have not 
tried them, you owe it to yourself to start with them now. Many people have thanked 
me from the bottoms of their hearts for showing them the light. 
Let’s start right now to have a glorious garden of glads this year. 
Yours for a Happy Glad Garden and for more Beauty in the world. 
ELMER GOVE 
Apostle of Beauty 
A Classic 
The following paragraph describing the various stages of gladiolus growing has attracted so 
much attention and been quoted so many times that I am repeating it again: 
“There is a fascination about growing glads that becomes a hobby, then a craze. There are five 
stages of interest in growing ‘glads.’ First you just grow them as an amateur, same as you would 
any other flower. Then as your interest in them increases you become a ‘fan,’ then a ‘bug,’ then a 
‘nut,’ then finally a ‘fiend.’ When you reach this final stage you are hopeless. You think of ‘glads’ 
all day, dream of them at night, spend every available minute of your time in the garden, talk of 
them, visit the shows, read all the catalogs and spend all your money on them. You will look lovingly 
at the last flower in the fall, will handle over your bulbs in the winter time and will hardly be able to 
wait till you can lovingly plant the bulbs in the spring. From then till the first bloom appears is a 
period of happy anticipation. When finally the spikes of blooms begin to appear you are in heaven.” 
In which class are you? I have been in the last class for years. A number have written me that 
they are in a still more advanced stage, the ‘‘Damn fool’’ stage. That must be about the height of 
something. 
