chocolate scented - Gladiolus Nanus Hybrids
Roy M. Sachs (Thu, 06 Jul 2006 14:00:31 PDT)
I have discovered something about Gladiolus nanus. One of my bulb
books lists it as a species, but several more recent ones say this
instead:
Gladiolus X colvillei (G. tristis X cardinalis) syn G. nanus hort.
Nanus Hybrids Various colours from white to crimson and mauve.
Hardy in only the mildest gardens of southern and western England.
So the scent must have come from tristis, but I have never smelled
it. Also, I have only the one Nanus, so I don't know whether others
of them are scented. I shall buy some more this fall when bulbs
arrive in the garden centres.
If we're talking about Gladiolus nanus hybrids, similar to the
hundreds that I bought way back in 1990 or so, in several colors, all
relatively reduced in stature and floret size, then I would have to
caution members about their propensity to acquire a virus disease
(probably one of the mosaics in the Davis area, probably from aphids
or thrips)
In 3 years I lost all but a very and they looked as if they had maybe
one more year of life. Not even in the first year, when they were
quite beautiful, were any of them scented
Roy