Gladiolus tristis
Mary Sue Ittner (Wed, 21 Jul 2004 07:21:13 PDT)

Dear Jim,

Gladiolus tristis var. aestivalis last year started into growth early, but
it may have been one of the pots I watered before I went to South Africa.
Some I did and some I waited until I got back. My data base says
August-September which probably means it was growing when I got back and
therefore I couldn't be sure when it came up. The year before first shoots
appeared in October.

The Southern African Gladiolus are an unusual group since some are dormant
in winter, some dormant in summer, some almost evergreen, some bloom before
leaves and some afterwards and they bloom summer, fall, winter, and spring.

Since I have two pots of these I plan to experiment with them and try some
in a new raised bed I'm creating. After I share some with the Mendocino
Coast Botanical Gardens if I still have a few left, I'll send you some and
you can try planting them late (if they don't start growing before) and see
what happens.

Mary Sue