Gladiolus Circus Club - Sword Lily

Gladiolus 'Circus Club' boasts fantastic tricoloured flowers. It is a hybrid variety of the butterfly type, with smaller and lighter flowers in a unique variegated colour. It blooms from June-July until September, and its flowers are long-lasting both in a vase and in the garden.

The genus Gladiolus belongs to the Iridaceae family. Cultivated gladioli are hybrids with large flowers, divided into 3 main groups: Grandiflorus (with large flowers), Primulinus (early), and Nanus (butterflies). 'Circus Club' belongs to the Nanus group, characterised by small and often maculate flowers, irregularly arranged on 60 to 70cm (24 to 28in) tall stems, each bearing up to 20 florets. The upper petal of each flower often has a curved helmet-like shape.

'Circus Club' is a recent hybrid, derived among others from Gladiolus papilio, a species native to the marshy and mountainous areas of the Drakensberg in South Africa. Its bright green foliage consists of thin, rather short, sword-shaped leaves, arranged in a fan shape and forming a clump. The leaves are topped by a 60cm (24in) tall spike inflorescence with numerous flower buds. The flowers are composed of 3 central petals surrounded by 3 wider sepals. The sepals are white, irregularly edged and splashed with mauve and bright violet. The petals show a primrose-yellow centre and a violet tip. Their base is adorned with reddish-brown macules. The storage organ is a corm, which is a swollen stem covered with scales. Each corm will produce 2 or 3 flower stalks.

'Circus Club' has a great chance of changing the perception of detractors of this plant, which is often considered stiff and lacking elegance. Gladioli and their long colourful flower spikes are undoubtedly emblematic of the 1970s and slightly formal floral arrangements. While they are irreplaceable in bouquets, their silhouette needs the presence of plants with lush foliage to enhance their flowering. Plant them in beds of grasses, forget-me-nots, and perennial flax, for example. Play with white for elegance and add silver foliage here and there. For bouquet making, cut the flower stalks when the first floret starts to open.

Gladiolus gets its name from the shape of its sword-like leaves, derived from the Latin word gladius.