Gladiolus grandiflorus Tina - Sword Lily

Dwarf Gladiolus 'Tina' (Gladdies®) is a compact variety adorned with pretty bicolour mauve flowers washed with white and a deep purple-violet heart, on a well-filled spike. This summer bulb combines floriferousness, good wind resistance and excellent cut flower qualities. By staggering plantings, you can enjoy them from June to September.

A "bulbous" plant from the Iridaceae family, gladiolus is native to southern Africa and the Mediterranean. Its bulb, actually a corm, serves as a storage organ. Modern hybrids are sensitive to cold: outside the mildest climates, their corms should be dug up at the end of the season to overwinter them dry and frost-free. 
'Tina' is classified in the "small-flowered" group and belongs to the Glamini/Gladdies® series. Gladioli in this series measure 50 to 70 cm tall, their flowering is early and their stems often do not require staking. Each corm develops a narrow clump of sword-shaped leaves and one or two upright flower spikes bearing up to around ten single, well opened flowers, 8-10 cm in diameter. Each flower has six slightly wavy, silky-textured tepals: three upper tepals slightly curved backwards and three lower ones forming a more spreading lip. The base of the tepals is a very pale lilac, almost silvery lavender, broadly marked at the base with a deep purple-violet V-shape around the throat, which is itself darker, tending towards violet-plum. The distinctly darker flower buds open progressively from the bottom to the top of the spike. In 'Tina', this flowering occurs from June to September, depending on the planting date. The growth is deciduous: the foliage dies back after flowering, while the corm goes dormant.

Gladiolus 'Tina' is appreciated for the contrast of its bicolour flowers and the uniformity of its spikes. It can be planted in a large sunny border, in a wide pot, at the edge of the vegetable garden or in a bed dedicated to cut flowers. You can plant small groups of 5 to 10 bulbs among low grasses and light perennials. It pairs well with anemone-flowered dahlia 'Blue Bayou', sage Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna', Argentinian vervain 'Lollipop' and Muhlenbergia capillaris, which lightens the base of the spikes. In a vase, it integrates well into country-style cut flower arrangements mixing English roses, cosmos and scabious.