Plant half-hardy hybrid gladiolus corms directly outside in mid to late spring, or start them under cover earlier. Hardy naturalising types, including Gladiolus byzantinus, can be planted in autumn or spring. Always plant corms during the season in which they arrive.
Out of season
If you want to enjoy all the flower power of Gladiolus but in a more petite form, Gladiolus 'Nanus Mixed' is the answer! Producing distinctive upright stems which are studded with colourful blooms, each one is like a lovely wand of flowers, and the surprise of each colour emerging is what makes a mix like this so fun and magical. These sword lilies look good anywhere—they can be cute in a cottage border, kitsch in a boho garden, pretty in a prairie or a little quirk in a contemporary design. As with all gladioli, they make fantastic cut flowers and you can enjoy cutting some stems to make a perfectly easy posy.
When it comes to growing Gladiolus 'Nanus Mixed', they’re extremely easy and massively rewarding—simply plant the bulbs in spring and leave them to work their magic in summer. The shorter stemmed nanus varieties in this colourful mix are strong and don’t usually need staking, growing up to around 30cm they’re ideal for planting in groups towards the front of a border or in patio containers. Mixed dwarf gladioli can often grow back in future years, but they are not fully winter hardy so will require winter protection of temperatures will fall below 0°C.
Nanus gladioli are also known as dwarf gladioli and are shorter and smaller than the large-flowering gladiolus varieties. Dwarf glads come in pretty soft colours and have become very popular in UK gardens. Our nanus gladiolus mixture contains many different colours which are excellent for pots, containers, borders and they—like all gladioli—make wonderful and long-lasting colourful cut flowers for the vase!
Plant your nanus gladioli corms in spring: try planting them in pots, in frost-free conditions, about a month before the expected last frost date for your area. Then plant them outdoors when the risk of frost has passed. Or, plant the corms straight outside after the last frost. Doing a little of both will give your Gladiolus 'Nanus Mixed' bulbs an extended flowering season!
Quantity
Plant profile
Plant calendar
Grow gladioli in full sun, in a sheltered border or large patio container. They need free-draining conditions, so improve heavy soil with organic matter and grit or plant into a raised bed. For containers, use peat-free multipurpose compost.
Position each corm with its pointed side facing upwards, around 10–15cm deep. Space them approximately 10cm apart when planting in groups. A generous cluster creates a fuller display and allows the flower spikes to offer one another some support.
Water thoroughly after planting, then allow the soil to become nearly dry between waterings while the corms remain dormant. Once shoots appear, water regularly throughout active growth, particularly during warm, dry weather and when growing gladioli in containers.
Most gladioli remain upright without help, although staking is useful in exposed or windy positions. Remove faded flower spikes just above the foliage, then leave the leaves to die back naturally. They can be cut down to ground level in autumn.
Lift half-hardy hybrid gladiolus corms in autumn and store them somewhere cool, dry and frost free. These varieties often give their strongest display in their first year. Hardy naturalising gladioli can remain outdoors where the soil drains freely and does not become waterlogged.
- Botanical name
- Gladiolus nanus mixta
- Flower colour
- Red, orange, yellow, pink
- Corm size
- 9/+
- Established height
- 50-70cm
- Established spread
- 10-20cm
- Growing skill
- Easy to grow
- Habit
- Upright
- Hardiness
- Half hardy
- Leaf colour
- Green
- Mouse resistant
- No
- Plant spacing
- 30 corms per m2
- Pollinator friendly
- No
- Position
- Sheltered
- Rabbit resistant
- No
- Scented
- No
- Soil acidity
- Any
- Soil moisture
- Free draining
- Soil type
-
Loam
Sandy
Stony
Multipurpose compost
Loam-based compost - Suitable for
-
Borders
Coastal gardens
Gravel gardens
Cottage gardens
Cut flower Gardens
Large containers - Sunlight
- Full sun
- Toxicity
- No report
- Years to establish
- 1st year
Good for cutting
Perfect for pots
Pollinator-friendly
Thrives in full sun
Perennial
Packed in paper
Low maintenance
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Gladiolus 'Nanus Mixed' reviews
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