Gladioli are beautiful garden plants, whose cut flowers can live in pots for a long time. You can easily arrange them in a tall heavy vase. Caring for gladioli plants, cutting them off and arranging them in a vase is a simple job, and the floral arrangement of the gladioli will shine throughout their lifespan.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Cut and Arrange the Gladioli
Step 1. Cut the gladioli when they are already partially in bloom
It is best to cut when one or two flowers have opened on the spike inflorescence (the first to open will be the ones below).
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Cut the flowers in the morning when the air is fresh and the plant hydrated.
Cut Gladiolus Step 1Bullet1 - Use a sharp blade to make a clean cut.
- Avoid using dull scissors or tools, as they will crush the cells of the cut part, which will therefore no longer be able to absorb water well, thus shortening the life of the cut flowers.
- Place each cut stem in a container of water immediately after cutting, and always keep them in water while you prepare the arrangement in the vase.
Step 2. Use a heavy vase to balance the weight of the flowers
Gladioli look great on their own or with other flower species. Pay attention to how you arrange the gladioli; their stem is tall and heavy and can easily overturn a light pot.
- Use a heavy vase or a vase with a solid, heavy base.
- A large ceramic pot will do.
- You could try adding weight to the jar, for example by putting in the weights of the old kitchen scale, to make it more stable.
- Make sure the pot is at least 2/3 full of water, as water also helps stabilize the pot.
- Whichever container you use, it must be well cleaned.
Step 3. Put the vase with the flowers in a cool and safe place
Safe means a place where it cannot be easily knocked over and cause damage. Arrange the flowers in a balanced way, so their weight won't remain on just one side of the vase.
- To keep the cut gladioli alive as long as possible, keep the vase in a cool environment.
- The pot should stay away from heat sources and direct sunlight.
- Do not place the vase near the television or other appliances, as they emit heat.
- Remember, gladiolus pots tip over easily!
Method 2 of 2: Caring for Cut Gladioli
Step 1. Feed the gladioli to keep them healthy
Many people recommend adding flower fertilizer or half powdered aspirin to cut flower water as an additional nutrient.
- Change the water every 2-3 days.
- Pull away any withered flowers, including the bulge at the base of the flower, where it attaches to the stem.
- This will stimulate the other flowers on the stem to open.
Step 2. Remove all wilted gladioli flowers to enhance their appearance
This practice is widely used in gardening, and includes removing wilted, limp flowers after the flowering period has passed.
- The effect of removing withered flowers is of course an aesthetic improvement of the flower arrangement.
- This is especially true of gladioli, where the inflorescence can be formed from withered flowers and newly blooming flowers.
- By removing faded flowers, it will make new ones stand out better.
Step 3. Remove the gladiolus flowers when they are wilting
You should check for wilted flowers twice a week.
- Remove each flower as soon as it begins to wilt. Don't wait for the seed head to start forming.
- Remove only the single flower from the stem and "not" the entire stem, unless there are no new flowers left.
- Withered flowers come off easily by pinching them with your fingers.
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Remove the petals, but also the swollen part at the base of the flower, where it attaches to the main stem.
This is the part that forms the seed
Step 4. When the inflorescence has completely faded, cut the gladiolus at the base
When all the flowers of the garden plant have wilted on the ear, take a pair of shears and cut at the base, near the main part of the plant.
Don't cut the leaves at this point
Step 5. Leave the leaves so the plant can conserve energy
It is important to let the leaves die off naturally, as this helps the plant store energy to flower again the following year.
- When the leaves begin to turn yellow, you can cut them off.
- This means that the plant has finished storing energy.
Step 6. During dry spells, water and mulch the plant
Mulch will keep the soil moist.
- Spread a few centimeters layer of compost or rotten leaves around the base of the plant.
- This will keep weeds away and protect the plant during the cold months.
Step 7. Protect the gladioli during the winter
The plant can survive outdoors in cold temperatures, but it will need protection.
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To do this, cover the plant with hay or straw after it has lost all its foliage.
Cut Gladiolus Step 10Bullet1 - For extreme temperatures, the gladiolus will need more protection.
- During the winter, you can pull the corms out of the ground and keep them in sand or peat in a cool, dry environment where temperatures stay above freezing.
- Replant the corms in the ground as soon as the frosts have passed and spring has arrived.
