grassy - the bloom stalk of glads can be pretty tall, especially if the corms you have are the grandifloras. When I've planted them in the past, I've put them with anything I have in the gardens, anywhere there's space. After blooming, the swordlike foliage is quite nice on its own and really doesn't need hiding behind other things. One thing though, plant them in a bunch/group - not all lined up like marching soldiers (nothing looks worse). I plant mine a little deeper than the recommended 6 inches - this helps to keep them from flopping over because of the heavy bloom stalk. I'll plant 7 - 9 of them together in the same spot with barely 2 inches between corms. This also helps to keep them from falling over without having to use stakes. I also cut down the bloom stalk once the last floret goes - the spent stalk looks pretty sad. I've also grown them for use as cut flowers for the house - sometimes they can be more impressive in a vase than out in the garden.

In Houston, they can stay in the ground all year. If you grow species Gladiolus from seed you can greatly extend the bloom period: X/Y=Bicolor SPECIES COLOR BLOOM G. abreviatus Red/Black Wi-Sp G. alatus Orange/Yellow Sp G. angustus White-Yellow/Purple-Red Sp G. aureys Yellow Wi-Sp G. brevifolius Pink/Yellow Sp G. caeruleus Pale Blue/Purple Sp G. cardinalis Crimson/White Su G. carinatus variable(Red Yellow Pink Blue) Sp G. carmeneus Deep Pink Su-Au G. caryophyllaceus Pink-Mauve Sp G. cunonius Red/Green Sp G. dalenii Orange/Yellow Sp-Au G. debilis White/Pink-Red Sp G. eklonii Variable Su G. floribundus Pink-Mauve Sp G. Geardii Pink Su G. gracilis Blue or Pink Au-Sp G. griseus Mauve-Gray/Yellow Au-Wi G. gueinzii Pink-Purple/Red Su G. hirsutus Pink/Brown Sp G. holandii Pale Pink/Dark pink Su-Au G. hyalinus Brown/Cream Wi-Sp G. imbracatus Purple Su G. involutus White-Pink/Yellow Sp G. liliaceus Red(day)Blue(night) Sp G. longicollis White/Yellow Su G. maculatus Brown-Purple/Red Au-Wi G. melliusculus Pink-Red/Orange/Yellow/Purple Sp G. monticola Pink Su-Au G. mortonius Pink/Red Su-Au G. oppositiflorus Pink Su-Au G. orchidiflorus Green/Brown/Purple Sp G. papilio Mauve/Purple Sp-Su G. permeabilis Pink/Yellow Sp G. quadrangularis Bright Red Sp G. recurvus Green/Yellow/Pink Wi-Sp G. rogersii Blue/Mauve/Purple Sp G. saccatus Bright Red Wi-Sp G. saundersii Red-Orange/White Su-Au G. sericeovillosus Pink-Wine Red/Yellow-Green Au G. splendens Bright Scarlet Sp G. teretifolius Red-Orange/Yellow Au-Sp G. trichonemifolius Yellow/Pink-Red Sp G. tristis Yellow/Brown/Green Sp-Su G. undulatus Pink/Green Sp-Su G. varius Pink/Purple Su-Au G. watermeieri Gray/Purple Wi-Sp Hyphenated seasons indicate extended blooming season. Most or all of the above are usually available from Silverhill Seeds in Kenilworth, South Africa Here is a link that might be useful: Silverhill Seeds

Were you planning on digging the glads when they do die back? I know I have read of people in your zone that successfully overwintered glads, they multiply like crazy for me. Since you have them in the ground, why not try the wall o'water, whether you plan to dig or leave them in the ground. I "think" that if the old corm has not bloomed, it should still be alive, but I'm not sure if I read that or just something I thought. If you have green though, you should have some healthy corms somewhere. Makes sense to me though that since you were late getting them in the ground, that the extra time might give them a bit more energy. They probably don't really need the extra trouble, glads are pretty tough but might make an interesting experiment.

Ok, thanks everyone! I tried to plant them Saturday and only got 5 in the ground, because I could only dig down 4 inches with the bulb planter. So I thought I'd wait for my husband to get home and find his drill/auger thing he has been looking for. I looked at Paghat's website and she recommended planting that particular tulip at about 8 inches. Boy, my neighbors had a laugh at the sight of me out there in the snow. We're the only ppl in the neighborhood who haven't raked up their leaves. :0) Phyl