The tall, striking spike of gladiolus is one of the most eye-catching flowers. Just as popular as garden plants and cut flowers, these slender beauties can grow up to five feet tall. They also come in nearly every color. In cut flower bouquets they are usually sent with a couple of the buds open near the base, the rest will open in succession over the life of your bouquet. You can remove the older blooms after they wilt to improve the overall appearance of your arrangement. Gladiolus are symbolized by Strength of Character, Honor, and Infatuation.
Some facts are:
- In China, it is believed the gladiolus can help people who have passed away find the heavens.
- Victorian romantics believed the gladiolus flowers were capable of piercing someone’s heart with their beauty causing infatuation.
- Gladioli “Glads” are also called sword lilies because of their sharply pointed leaves and tall stalks of flowers with pointed tips. The Latin name for Gladiolus is gladius, a clear reference to the sword-swinging gladiators of ancient Rome.
- Gladiolus is the official 40th anniversary flower.
