Glorious Glads

I always considered gladiolas as funeral flowers - the sprays of white glads were a fixture in every funeral arrangement. But when I started growing them myself, I was fascinated. Glads have a very interesting way of reproducing. The small flat bit under the pink one is the corm I planted in the spring. The corm flattens and puts its energy into growing a new bulb on top, which sprouts and produces a lovely spray of flowers. The one in the picture is quite unusual, because it has produced a new bulb on each side, each of which will also sprout new flowers next year. Most corms produce tiny bulbils (second picture) around the roots. If these fall off and take root, they will grow to full size in a few years. Even though they are considered zone 7, glads survive in the ground over winter in my zone 6b garden. I take them out in the fall anyways, because I like to put them in a new place every year. And besides, I love seeing what they have been up to!