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Gladioli identity

PotwomanPotwoman Posts: 74
in Plants
could anyone please explain  the difference between gladioli italicus.   And gladioli byzantinus.   ?     I fell in love with a flower growing in the wild fields in Greece -  known there as the “rooster “ which my plant APP  identified as italicus          I spotted something at gardeners world NEC   Yesterday  -  labelled as Byzantine      And I am struggling to  know the difference 

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  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,088
    The Byzantine from originates from Spain and Sicily and has bold, magenta flowers.  The Italicus is more widely spread across southern Europe and parts of Asia and has smaller flowers.

    https://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/gladiolus-communis-subsp-byzantinus/classid.2000002115/ 

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/8016/Gladiolus-italicus/Details 


    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • PotwomanPotwoman Posts: 74
    Thank you thank you so much for explaining 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,088
    Pleasure.  Will you be getting some?  I love the Byantine form but haven't come across the Italicus on sale.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • HazyDayHazyDay Posts: 12
    I saw this plant in Portugal and i would like to know the best time to plant bulbs and am i right in that because the come from europe and not south affrica as other gladioli do we can leave them in the ground over winter

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,088
    If you look again at the link I gave you it indicates that they are best planted in autumn as they flower in late spring.  It is not reliably hardy below -10C so give it a sheltered, sunny spot.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
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