Hi, the flowers have finished on the gladiolus now (grass like identification question) I think they may have lasted longer if not for the weather this year… anyway do I pull up the dead grass-like leaves now? Or leave it to die down? Thanks 😊
It looks a bit late now but normally you would cut off the spent flower stems at the base as soon as they go over and then leave the leaves to die down naturally as they are needed to feed the corm for next year's show of flowers.
If your gladioli are in a sheltered, well-drained spot you can then remove the spent foliage once it's all brown and give the whole patch a good drink and then a mulch with a couple of inches/5cm of well-rotted garden compost or manure. This will nourish the soil as well as protect the corms from frost.
If your garden is cold or exposed or wet in winter then you need to lift the corms and store them somewhere cool, dark and dry till it's time to get them going again next spring.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
If the dead flower stems and leaves pull out with a gentle tug, I find that the best way to tidy them up. You can also cut back those which are obviously dead
Hi, the flowers have finished on the gladiolus now (grass like identification question) I think they may have lasted longer if not for the weather this year… anyway do I pull up the dead grass-like leaves now? Or leave it to die down? Thanks 😊
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If your gladioli are in a sheltered, well-drained spot you can then remove the spent foliage once it's all brown and give the whole patch a good drink and then a mulch with a couple of inches/5cm of well-rotted garden compost or manure. This will nourish the soil as well as protect the corms from frost.
If your garden is cold or exposed or wet in winter then you need to lift the corms and store them somewhere cool, dark and dry till it's time to get them going again next spring.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
You can also cut back those which are obviously dead