[gardeners] gladioli
penny x stamm (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Wed, 16 Feb 2000 02:53:40 -0500
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Hello, Ron -- I plant lots of glads. I enjoy them for their tall
spikes which contrast so well with all the bushy flowers in
the beds, and for their color variety.
If I never rototilled in spring, my glads would survive the
winter cold here in zone 6. I always plant in batches of
5 or 6, to give them a chance to show off. Once in awhile,
the tiller leaves a few behind -- something I cannot explain --
and a lonesome polecat pops up. Since the first signs of
leaves start early, I can plant around them without hurting them!
Last summer I planted the leftovers, a bunch of about 30, right
in the veggie garden, at least 6 weeks late. They came in just
the same, and I had glads to cut in November, which is unheard
of..!
But truthfully, I have never tried to transplant a glad. I suppose it
wouldn't hurt you to experiment -- if you lose some, they are
easily replaceable. And perhaps your beds would look more
sensible without the disruption of the blooming glads...
If you decide to try moving them, as has been already suggested
take as much surrounding soil with each bulb as you can grab.
Place some bone meal under the bulb, tamp the soil down rather
well, and water every day for two weeks. Don't drown them, but do
water them. Oh yes -- if you know that they will need a stake later
on, then insert that stake in the ground at the same time you are
planting, while you still remember where the bulb is -- so you do
not injure the root system or the bulb itself, later on.
In the end, it may all revolve around how much time you have to
spend on the task....
Penny, NY