Gladioli 'Purple Flora'

Deep purple florets crowd the tall, strong stems.

This selection of Gladioli are sensational and perfect for a big floral show. The elegant spires of ruffled blooms provide an indulgent explosion of fantastic summer colour.

Gladiolus are economical, laid back bulbs that love the Australian sun. They are hardy and reliable flowers and can be easily timed for a succession of vibrant, towering summer colour. A trick of the trade is to plant your Gladioli bulbs in batches over a few weeks. This will extend the flowering show. When planting in warm weather allow 90 days to flower and cooler weather 120 days.

Gladioli are ideal in clumps or woven through beds, they combine well with perennial plants such as Lilies, Salvias and Roses. They are also excellent in the picking garden. Like most bulbs, the more the merrier. Planting them in a decent clump will allow you to pick them and give you a memorable show.

Gladioli bring a welcome dimension of height to your garden and come in a huge array of colours so there is something to suit everyone and every garden colour scheme. The bulbs are easy to plant and don't require a lot of fuss, humbly requiring sun and well drained soil.

It is a good idea to ensure you plant your Gladioli bulbs deeply enough (around 10cm), this will reduce the need for staking. Gladioli like a sunny position and you need to ensure you keep them moist when they are in flower for best results. Hold off planting until after the threat of frost has passed.