Enjoy the Gladiolus

I enjoy just about every flower there is, but there are some that stand out as favorites.  Roses are high on the list.  Zinnias are up there too (especially State Fair variety).  Sunflowers, Hollyhocks, Hyacinths, Dahlias -  well the list is fairly long.  Today I'm going to focus on one of my faves that isn't seen a whole lot these days - the Gladiolus.

These lovely tall stocks are in the iris family and grow from bulbs.  They usually start sprouting in June, and they pour all their energy into long green leaves for a couple of months. Then finally, in late August, they put forth their 1 stalk of flower blossoms.  The blooms don't last long, but they are glorious for the week or two they are here.  This year I documented the blooming progress of my 1 lone Glad.  There are actually about 12 flowers on a stalk, but they come out in succession from bottom to top.

Enjoy!

Ok - I'll admit it.  The last photo here is from 2015 because I missed photographing the last couple of days of this year's bloom, but it counts because it's the same plant!  

Last year I planted several bulbs and about 3 or 4 came up.  This year, I just had the one left-over from last year's planting.  I was thrilled that any came up at all!  

I'm going to work on finding a good source of strong bulbs so I can plant more for next year.  It's a long wait to get to the grand finale, but I think it's worth it!

Thanks for visiting!  Come back again soon!

:)Amy