Garden blooms/New Gladiolus pictures on the wiki
Jane McGary (Wed, 01 Jun 2005 09:36:10 PDT)

Thanks to Mary Sue for her comments and good photos on the wiki.

She mentioned the white spider camouflaged in the white glad. I often find
these white spiders in flowers here. I suppose they lurk where a visiting
moth or other prey insect will mistake their legs for anther filaments.

Gladiolus tristis has survived outdoors here for the past two warm winters,
so I may try some of its hybrids too, if I happen to get any. The only
other African glad I grow is the tiny G. alatus, which is in the bulb
frame. I once had G. x colvillei but lost it in a normally cold winter.
More reliable are the European Gladiolus species, which are in flower now.
Slender plants, they look best among other vegetation. I was surprised when
visiting Crete last month to see how robust G. italicus is there; it (like
the tulips) obviously responds well to the chemical fertilizers that,
according to conservationists, are being over-applied and killing off the
famous orchids.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA