Gladiolus Ovatie - Sword Lily

This Gladiolus 'Ovatie' offers a flowering of an exciting orange, in shades that are both soft and warm, pearly orange at the heart of the petals, more coppery on their fringed edges, with a yellow mark and a deeper heart. The combination is perfect with its slightly grayish-green foliage. It blooms for many weeks. Magnificent in large perennial beds, with old roses, or as a cut flower.

Originating from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, belonging to the family Iridaceae, the most colourful species of gladiolus come from South Africa. Cultivated gladiolus are hybrids with large flowers and are divided into 3 main groups: Grandiflorus (large flowers), Primulinus, and Nanus (butterflies). 'Ovatie' is a perennial herbaceous plant with corms (globose bulbs), with wide, sword-shaped leaves arranged in a fan shape, forming a clump that can reach up to 120 cm (47in) in height when flowering. The leaves here are bluish-greenish grey, forming a beautiful harmony with the colour of the flowers. The foliage is topped by a dense spike inflorescence, with funnel-shaped flowers, 10 cm (4in) long, arranged unilaterally and carried by sturdy stems. They are both soft and bright here, pearly orange mixed with rosy copper and yellow, fringed on the edge of the petals.

Gladioli and their long, colourful stems are reminiscent of the 70s and slightly formal floral arrangements. While they are irreplaceable in bouquets, in gardens, their silhouette appreciates the presence of plants with lush foliage to enhance their abundant yet romantically wild flowering. Plant 'Ovatie' corms alongside sage, tobacco, bee balm, and forget-me-nots, for example. They are commonly found in cottage gardens, where they accompany vegetables all the way to the kitchen table. To make bouquets, cut the flower stems when the first floret begins to open. Plant them at intervals of two weeks from early spring until the end of June to bring flowers into the house and garden all summer.

The gladiolus gets its name from the shape of its sword-like leaves, derived from the Latin word, gladius. Its wild forms were often represented in jewelry or on carpets and fabrics made by the Semitic people before the Christian era.

About botanical gladiolus: Far from the cultivated blooms, but offering the advantage of living like wild plants, botanical gladiolus are an interesting alternative for easy-going gardeners: it is entirely possible to welcome them into the European garden, as many of them are native to our temperate climates and yet very elegant. The most common are Gladiolus bysanthinus, with spring flowering in pink-purple, naturalises well. Gladiolus x colvillii shows flowers with various colours, usually marked with pink or red at the throat.

Among the very hardy species that naturalise, we can mention Gladiolus communis, from southern Europe, 1 m (3ft) tall, adorned with pink flowers striped or spotted with white or red. Gladiolus illyricus, widespread from southern England to the Caucasus, forms superb magenta-violet flower spikes streaked with white, 1 m (3ft) tall. Gladiolus imbricatus bears crimson-violet flowers with a very bright white spot highlighted with purple carmine.