Gladiolus in Georgia?

Can someone who is growing glads here tell me what you would do again that you love or do different.
I have never done glads, but I have 80 bulbs comming. Do you like them in a line?, In a clump? Seperate clumps? Colors all mixed up or seperate? Would you plant them closer together next time or further apart? I think most of these are going near the back fence in the pic, they will they will stay in ground over winter where only the strong will survive.(hope they are all strong)
Thanks,
chris

Chris, I was just looking at my Brent & Becky's Bulb catalog (for the umpteenth time). I saw under the Glads section that they overwinter theirs by planting a little deeper and mulching. They are in 7b also. So I guess if you plant them a little deeper that you would for zone 8-10, you should be good. They should look beautiful by that fence. Gorgeous pool btw. Becky

Thanks Becky, I am going to give it a shot. I hope it works.
chris

hello chris ive been growing glads in my round bed for three years now they come back very well every year so far, but i do lay down a heavy layer of mulch and the soil is heavily composted and amended.
i love all the colors coming up at different times or at least the bloom periods, here is a tip when they start to bloom pull the blossom's off one at a time if you can bear it, as they wilt and divert the rest of the plants resources to the remaining blooms. they will stay in bloom much longer.

Bulbhound, They look great. Thanks for the info, glad to here that they will probably survive the winters. I will mulch heavy. Do you have a big problem with them falling over?
chris

I planted them between tall cannas and daylillies.. they were supposed to be the middle height. They bloomed and I learned that yes the do fall over.. They make excellent cut flowers, so that it what I do... cut them and bring in. I have many more this year from Costco and I will plant these in much more tighter clumps so that I can tie them up together if I need to.

Sweet pool!

:)

Susan

Thanks Susan, How many are you going to clump together? I read on another thread somewhere that a garden place(country something) digs a trench about 8-10" deep but only covers them with 3' soil, then when they come up a little, they cover with the remaining 8", then when they are 18" tall, they mound up around the base another 5" of soil. They say that theirs do not fall over. They sell them as cut flowers. I would try that, but I am not sure if they would come back if they ended up being 10" deep for the second season. Any thoughts?
Chris

Pool is new in Nov. and the kids cant wait to get in it for the first time. Im not that interested in the pool except for the fact that there are new beds all around it and will keep the kids busy so I can play in the garden. :)

I have a couple hundred to plant. Seriously.. Costco was that good.. each bag had around 70 for around 10.00. 2 named varieties in each bag. I would love to see the thread, as I would love to learn more about how to plant mine without them falling over. If it works for them... i'd like to know about it! I had just planned to tie them up all around.. but would prefer them stand on their own.

We have an older pool from the 80's. we love ours too.. When our kids were born we had to get the 5 foot safety fence all around it and it is not that atractive, but my kids don't fall in on accident :)
Your fence is great too!

Susan

Susan, I dont know how to look up a post # for a link so I will just give you the info.
On the gladiolas forum, post by CountryGardens, #1395288, thread called gladiolus planting.
Hope you find it, let me know what you think.

Chris

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/498789/

This one?? All you do is copy and paste the address at the top. :) I asked.. Lets see. I have many to be planted now.

Susan

Planted mine mixed in a long narrow bed. I liked the look. The first year I planted my bulbs I planted the recommended depth on the package and I did have to stake them. I was too busy to dig them out that fall and left them. The second season they bloomed much larger and fuller, but that fall I dug them up and stored until replanted. That summer they were terrible! Only half of them bloomed and those that did were thin and not full. I decided to leave them in this fall and I'll see how they turn out this summer.

Joann

frausnow, I am about 70 miles south of you and I left my glads in the ground this winter and they are already popping up all over the place! The only mulch they got was the pine straw and leaves falling on them, I call it God's mulch. I think some were earlier varieties than others, so there should be even more coming later, not to mention all those I have yet to plant!