The Peacock Orchid (Gladiolus murielae) is an East African flowering plant related to the common gladiolus. It features delicate, nodding white, star-shaped flowers with a distinctive deep purple blotch at the throat. Gardeners multiply this plant due to its grace and potent, sweet fragrance, noticeable in the late summer and early fall. Multiplication is achieved through two methods: corm division and seed propagation.
Multiplication Through Corm Division
The most practical and common method for increasing Peacock Orchid stock is through the vegetative multiplication of its underground storage structure, the corm. The parent corm is an annual structure that is entirely consumed to fuel the season’s growth and flowering. A new, larger replacement corm forms on top of the old one, and this new corm will flower the following year.
The corm also produces numerous smaller offsets, known as cormels or cormlets, which cluster around its base. These cormels are genetically identical clones and are separated from the main corm when the plants are lifted for winter storage in the fall. Cormels should be at least half an inch in diameter to be viable.
Once replanted, these small offsets spend their first two growing seasons producing only foliage, using the energy to increase the size of their own corm. They typically take two to three years to reach a mature, flowering size.
Propagation from Seed
The Peacock Orchid can also be multiplied by collecting and sowing its seeds. After the flowers fade in late summer, the plant produces hard, green seed capsules that ripen and turn brown in the fall. The seeds within these capsules must be collected and planted to begin the process.
Seed propagation is a significantly slower process than corm division because the resulting seedlings must mature enough to form a flowering-sized corm. The seeds can be sown in pots about six weeks before the last expected spring frost, requiring warmth and moisture to germinate. The small resulting plants will spend their first year of life developing a tiny, non-flowering corm.
This small corm must then be dug up, stored for the winter, and replanted each subsequent spring to continue its growth. A plant grown from seed will require a lengthy period of three to five years of consistent annual care before it develops a corm large enough to produce a flower spike.
The Seasonal Timing of Multiplication
The multiplication of Peacock Orchids is dictated by the plant’s annual dormancy cycle. In regions where the ground freezes (USDA hardiness zones 7 and below), corms must be lifted from the soil in the fall to survive the winter. This removal is the opportune moment for division.
The proper time to dig the corms is after the foliage has naturally begun to yellow and die back. Once lifted, the corms should be gently cleaned of soil and allowed to dry or “cure” for approximately two to three weeks in a warm, dry, and well-ventilated location. This curing process hardens the corm’s protective outer layer.
After curing, the small cormels are easily detached from the large, new replacement corm. The old, spent mother corm is then discarded. Both the new corms and the separated cormels must be stored in a cool, dry, and frost-free environment, such as a basement or garage, where temperatures remain around 50°F (10°C). They remain in storage until the danger of the last spring frost has passed, when they can be replanted.