Also known as sad-flowered sword lily, marsh Afrikaner, ever-flowering gladiolus and evening flower, this tender perennial is native to southern Africa and is a member of the iris family, Iridaceae, that also includes crocus, crocosmia, and freesia. It grows 2′-3′ tall from a corm and produces a clump of narrow sometimes spiraling, dark green, grassy leaves in the fall. From early spring to mid-summer, spikes of 2 to 8 funnel-shaped flowers appear on wiry stems high above the foliage, opening progressively from the bottom up. The flowers are 2.5” – 3” across, white to cream and are marked with green or pale yellow. The flowers of many plants, but not all, have a strong pleasant in the evening variously described as like that of honeysuckle, almond, carnations and cloves. The plant goes summer dormant after flowering. Night gladiolus is a good choice for rock, moon, and fragrance gardens and is good in the vase but looses its fragrance. The genus name, Gladiolus, is from the Latin word gladius meaning sword and refers to the shape of the leaves. The specific epithet, tristis, is the Latin word for sad.
Type: Tender perennial
Bloom: Spikes of 2-8 white to cream flowers marked with green or pale yellow from early spring to mid summer
Size: 2-3′ H x 12-18″ W
Light: Full sun
Soil: Fertile, moderately moist, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 8-10
Care: Apply a low release fertilizer high in phosphorous when in active growth; allow to go summer dormant
Pests and Diseases: Susceptible to damage by gladiolus corm rot, gladiolus core rot, gladiolus dry rot, gladiolus scab and neck rot, Fusarium bulb rot, Botrytis, fungal leaf spot, virus diseases, aphids, gladiolus thrip, and slugs.
Propagation: Seed, separating cormlets
Companion Plants: Lavender, lantana, oleander
Outstanding Selections:
‘The Bride’
‘Moonlight’
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Karen Meyers