Gladiolus communis ssp. byzantinus shooting.

It has been milder than usual, but we have also had some normal winter weather. Today I noticed these Gladiolus a few inches tall, I can hardly believe it! They weren't there when I last looked!

I have a pic from last year on the 17th April at a similar stage, but that was a long and cold winter, up to mid April we had winter temperatures.

I also have fuchsias still with leaves there, they have never kept their leaves before, and we have had around 3 frosts to -4C. I think the hot summer helped to ripen the wood, but I have flower buds too!

Last year the fuchsias were just a few dead sticks in April, they didn't leaf out properly until the Glads had flowered late May to June. These Glads were self set from some I had removed to put in the fuchsias, but I never found a place for the original corms. They are beautiful, so I'm pleased they set seed.

This is the whole bed today, by my south wall. I have huge mounds of Ipheon Wisley Blue there which were flowering in December. I guess the Fuchsias will hold the Glads up.

Last year on April 17th, 3 months later! The tulips were self set seeded and crossed from two doubles that got eaten by squirrels a few years ago, you can see all the Glads springing up, which I didn't remember seeing the year before. Two of them flowered in late May.

Here's the flowers on 27th May, you can just see the Fuchsia new growth which came from the ground level.

I'm wondering when these Glads will flower this year!

How strange! Plants seem to have no idea what season it is.

It would be beautiful to see the tulips and glads in bloom together; the colors look like a beautiful match.

If these strong winds don't blow everything away, I may get fuchsias with the glads! Most of them are showing fresh new growth, tiny flower buds on Sealand Prince (tall one at the left) and I can see some forming on Madame Cornelissen at the right, with the red buds. That one didn't flower until late when it was cooler.

The glads grow quite tall, and so did the fuchsias last year with all the warmth, some are more dwarf but if they keep their foliage and stems they will grow even taller this year.

Look at Sealand Prince, the ones made may not make good flowers but it has more small buds.

This is a good conbination for anyone wanting to grow glads where they will be dormant in summer while something else takes over and keeps them dry, that is the usual plan anyway!

Some of the bed as it looked on 29th October which is very late for that many flowers, the path completely covered. They should be dead sticks now!

mine are about 3" tall, yipee!

Great stuff! Do the leaves look like mine?

I have some G nanus Nymph just through too, one has been nibbled. Can't wait to see those! I didn't get the other 3 byzantinus planted until a few days ago but I guess they will grow.

I'm making a note to take a pic later. as for the nymph, not peaking out yet.

here are by byzantinus

They look sort of the same, strange how they are curving over, I don't think mine do that. Yours have dark sheaths at the base too, mine are green, we shall see!

Are yours planted fairly deep? Mine have set themselves very deep.

no, no that deep.

That may be the reason for dark sheaths, who knows! Mine must be 4" at least deep. Of course I have 3 of those too, they should come up eventually (with luck, it's very cold!), I think I put them at about 2.5" for a start.