Gladiolus, often called the sword lily due to its striking, tall, sword-shaped foliage, is one of the most dramatic and popular flowers available. This plant is prized for its impressive vertical flower spikes and wide spectrum of colors, making it a favorite for both garden display and floral arrangements.
Buying Gladiolus as Cut Flowers
The purchase of gladiolus as cut flowers is focused on immediate aesthetic needs, such as bouquets, centerpieces, or large arrangements. Sourcing locations directly influence their freshness and the available variety.
You will find freshly cut gladiolus stems at local florists, who often maintain the highest quality and offer specialty cultivars not seen elsewhere. High-end grocery stores and large retail chains also stock them year-round, utilizing the flower’s availability from commercial growers across the globe. Farmers’ markets are an excellent seasonal source, providing locally grown stems that were often cut just hours before sale, ensuring peak freshness.
When buying cut stems, the selection is generally limited to the varieties the vendor has chosen for their wholesale order. Florists may have access to more unique colors or ruffled varieties, while supermarkets tend to carry the most common hybrids. The price point also varies significantly, with specialty florists charging the most for careful handling and unique selection, while big-box stores offer more budget-friendly options.
Sourcing Gladiolus Corms for Planting
For those intending to cultivate the sword lily themselves, the purchase involves acquiring corms, which are the solid, bulb-like underground storage organs from which the plant grows. Specialty online bulb and corm retailers are the premier source for gardeners, providing the largest selection of hybrids, including rare or miniature varieties.
Local garden centers and nurseries offer corms that are often better suited to regional growing conditions, and their staff can provide localized planting advice. Big-box home and garden stores carry the corms in bulk at the lowest prices, but the quality control and variety selection may be less rigorous than at a specialty supplier. Purchasing corms is a seasonal activity, typically beginning in late winter and continuing through early spring, as they must be planted after the last expected frost.
Timing is particularly important for home growers, and purchasing corms early allows for succession planting. By planting a batch of corms every two weeks from the last frost date until mid-summer, you can ensure a continuous supply of blooms until the first frost. This staggered planting schedule is effective because it takes approximately 90 days from planting a corm to the appearance of the flower spike.
Essential Tips for Selection and Timing
Cut Flowers
For cut stems, select a spike where only the lowest one or two florets have opened, and the remaining buds are still tightly closed. This stage indicates the longest possible vase life, as the flowers will continue to open sequentially up the stem over the next week. The stems themselves should be straight, firm, and free of any discoloration or browning on the buds, which can indicate poor post-harvest handling.
Corms
When purchasing corms for planting, always choose ones that feel firm and heavy, without any soft spots, mold, or signs of shriveling. The size of the corm is directly correlated with the resulting flower quality, with larger corms—those over 1.5 inches in diameter—producing stronger plants and more impressive blooms.