Gladiolus

First week back to reality from our road trip from Boston to Nashville and I needed some flowers to make me feel settled again. Between catching up on emails, unpacking and getting back into the swing of things and I am finally caught up. That sigh of relief- we're home- life is good. I treated myself to some beautiful glads.

You can find gladiolus everywhere in the summertime. I always opt for seasonal flowers when I want flowers around the house as they are more affordable and only around for a short amount of time! I bought a 10 stem bunch for $5 at my local Whole Foods Market.

As with any cut flowers you bring home make sure you give them a FRESH CUT at an angle before they go into a clean vase will flower food and cold water. I stress about the fresh cut because so many people don't do this and wonder why their flowers died in a day or two. The second you pick up a bouquet from a bucket the stems start to seal up. Clean your vase as you would cleaning dishes. That way there is no gunky stuff leftover from your last bouquet that will create bacteria and make your flowers die faster. Always, always cold water. Warm or hot water is going to force your blooms open faster so the vase life will be significantly shorter.

My secret to long lasting cut flowers: take a couple minutes every other day to re-cut the stems and change the water. Makes a huge difference. You won't be saying "I don't buy flowers because they die so fast" but "Oh my gosh these roses have lasted almost a week". 

Gladiolus have a vase life of a week plus! I snap off the tips, no more than a couple inches, to promote the bottom flowers opening up all the way to the top. When the bottom flowers start to look like they have passed (wilty, faded) simply cut them off. This will help increase your flowers lasting to their full potential. I love how stately gladiolus look alone in a tall vase.

Fun facts about gladiolus:

- An ancient name for the gladiolus was xiphium, from the Greek word xiphos, also meaning sword.

- The Gladiolus flower is the birth flower for August.

- Gladiolus bulbs are not true bulbs. Gladiolus bulbs, in botanical terminology, are referred to as corms. A corm is a shortened and thickened section of the stem that appears at the base of the plant. On the corm are buds for each layer of leaves. Except for production of new varieties, Gladioli are not cultivated from seed.

(Thanks to The Flower Expert)

And in a little book I picked up at a vintage store years ago, The Language of Flowers.....

I hope this opens your mind to the gladiolus and not just thinking they are a 'funeral flower'. They are magnificent! They are available in almost every color under the sun to match any room in your home. And I promise they will last you at least a week! Don't we all love long lasting flowers? Treat yourself! Try something new! I bet if you have company over you will get lots of compliments! Be a trend setter!

And aren't you GLAD it's the weekend?! Hah! I'm so funny, I know. Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment if you enjoyed this post and want to see more! What flower do you want to learn more about?

Living for you, living my best life.

xoxo