When to plant Gladioli and Lily bulbs

[duggie]

Hi,

I'm very new to growing veg and flowers so would appreciate your advice on when to plant bulbs for Gladioli and Lillies. Can I plant them now and cover with fleece or should I hold off for a little while?

[janeyo]

I have planted my gladioli (am new to it all too) but it's a sunny spot.

Am sure someone will tell me I am wrong! Oh well, they've got 2 chances!

janeyo

[duggie]

Hi Janeyo,

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

[Snadger]

I usually start planting my Gladioli in early April but stagger their planting times to give a longer season of flowers!
Early plantings benefit from a handful of sand in the hole which stops the corms rotting in my fairly heavy loam!

[Flummery]

I planted some lily bulbs (in a pot) a week ago.

[jeannine]

I leave my lilies in all year round and they're fine (apart from the pesky lily beetles....

I try to give everything a good mulch of home made compost, and even dahlias seem to survive quite happily through the winter.

If you got yours in a sunny spot, Janeyo, they should be fine - maybe cover them with a mulch to be on the safe side?

This is my first year of growing gladiolis, I think Dame Edna put me off, but then I got a bunch last year from a boot sale and they were so amazing I got 60 bulbs from Wilkinsons and will put them on the allotment.

[Flummery]

Mine are in year round too Jeannine - these were new. They'll be staying there though. The pot's in a sunnier place than the new flower border.

[nick the grief]

I leave my lilies in all year round and they're fine (apart from the pesky lily beetles....

I try to give everything a good mulch of home made compost, and even dahlias seem to survive quite happily through the winter.

If you got yours in a sunny spot, Janeyo, they should be fine - maybe cover them with a mulch to be on the safe side?

This is my first year of growing gladiolis, I think Dame Edna put me off, but then I got a bunch last year from a boot sale and they were so amazing I got 60 bulbs from Wilkinsons and will put them on the allotment.

If you get chance to go anywhere near the Early Chrysanthemum National Show in September (Stafford show ground) the National Gladioli society sell cormlets.

They were 3 packs for £1 I think the last time I bought some. All you have to do is grow them one for a year, then harvest them in the Autumn and any that are big enough will give you flowers the next year. It's a very good way of getting named varieties cheaply.

As snadger says if you plant them over a month you'll spread the flowering rather than having 60 million one weekend and none the next .... OK so I exaggerated a bit ...