Gladioli – Falling Over

Q: My gladioli produce lovely green leaves but when they bloom they always fall over. Should I replant the bulbs deeper?

A: It’s a common complaint that gladiolus flower stems get so top heavy that they flop over onto the ground. Planting the corms 3″ to 4″ deep will help stabilize the stem but is not guaranteed to be a perfect solution. Most folks just stake the stems with pieces of thin bamboo when they are 12″ tall. I sometimes use trimmed branches from privet for staking. You can also plant the glads along a fence so the stems can be loosely tied to the fence wire.