When to Plant and When to Lift Gladioli: Dates and Tips

Gladioli are among the best-loved garden flowers in Ukraine and a symbol of 1 September. To get timely blooms and keep them alive over winter, you need to get two moments right: when to plant gladioli in spring and when to lift them in autumn. Here are the dates for different regions of Ukraine, how to prepare corms, how deep to plant and how to store them until next spring.

More on this topic: gladiolus care guide, seasonal flowers by month, September flowers.

When to plant gladioli outdoors

• The key guide is soil temperature: at 10 cm deep it should reach +8…+10 °C. Cold soil slows root growth and corms may rot.
• South (Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson regions): from mid-April.
• Centre (Kyiv, Cherkasy, Poltava, Vinnytsia): late April to mid-May.
• North and west (Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Lviv, the Carpathians): May.
• Folk rule: plant gladioli when birch leaves unfold and the soil no longer feels cold.

Timing blooms for 1 September

• Early varieties bloom 65–75 days after planting, mid-season ones 75–90 days, late ones 90–100 days.
• For a 1 September bouquet, plant mid-season varieties around mid-May, counting back 80–90 days.
• For continuous bloom, plant batches every 2 weeks until mid-June.

Preparing and planting corms

• 2–3 weeks before planting, take out the corms, peel off dry tunics and set them in a bright, warm spot to sprout.
• Before planting, soak them for 30 minutes in a fungicide solution to prevent rot.
• Plant at 3–4 times the corm’s diameter: 10–12 cm for large corms, 3–5 cm for cormlets; deeper in light soil, shallower in heavy soil.
• Choose a sunny, sheltered spot and don’t replant in the same place for 3–4 years.

When to lift gladioli

• Lift gladioli 30–45 days after flowering or cutting, giving the corm time to ripen and store nutrients.
• In central Ukraine that’s usually September to early October; in the south, until mid-October. The key is to finish before the first frost.
• Dig in dry weather, cut the stem leaving 1–2 cm and separate the cormlets.

Storing gladioli over winter

• Dry the corms for 2–3 weeks somewhere warm and airy at +25…+30 °C, then remove the old mother corm.
• Store them in paper bags or boxes at +3…+7 °C, in a cellar, the bottom of the fridge or a glazed balcony.
• Check them monthly and discard any soft or damaged corms. More in our gladiolus care guide.

Gladioli in a bouquet

• Cut when the bottom 1–2 florets are open; the rest will open in the vase.
• Gladioli last 7–12 days; pinch out the top buds so the spike stays straight.
• Add flower food; we include a sachet with every bouquet.

Gladioli for 1 September

Didn’t grow your own gladioli in time for 1 September? You can order a bouquet for the teacher with delivery.

View full-size photo

See flowers for teachers and birthday flowers.

View full-size photo

FAQ

When should I plant gladioli?

When soil at 10 cm reaches +8…+10 °C: from mid-April in the south, late April to mid-May in the centre, May in the north.

When should I lift gladioli?

30–45 days after flowering, usually September to early October, before frost.

How deep should gladioli be planted?

3–4 times the corm diameter; 10–12 cm for large corms.

How long until gladioli bloom?

65–100 days after planting, depending on variety.

View full-size photo

Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.