Today we added 160 gladiolus corms to Coppertop beds! Their name is Latin for “little sword,” fitting for these upright summer blooms.

Varieties dug into the border outside the veggie garden fence:  White Friendship, Black Beauty, and Sunrise (pink with peach centers). These will complement the glads we added there last year, Espresso and Fiorentina, pictured below. All are 50″ glads.

Varieties dug into two raised beds near dahlias and the border inside the veggie garden:  Grande Passion (plum purple with white center), Safari (yellow with a splash of red), Magma (vibrant orangey red), Purple Mate, and Vista (plum, white, and lavender blend).

Most of these beds already contained gladiolus corms in need of invigoration. We planted the new corms 4″ deep and will add another 1-2 inches of compost on top. Although glads are happy at just 4″ deep, we leave ours in the soil over winter, so it’s best for their protection to plant them deeper. As they sprout and grow tall, we’ll support the beds with low wooden slat fences, as we did the last two summers. Planting corms a few inches apart allows the plants to lean on each other as a mass. The tighter groups of flowers are also gorgeous.