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Gladioli usually tolerate frost badly
Are gladioli hardy?
Gladioli are relatively easy to care for and are one of the most magnificent flowering plants in the perennial flowerbed. When the flowering time is over and the gladioli have completely retracted the leaves by autumn, many garden fans wonder how they have to move on with the onions now. Are the gladioli hardy and allowed to remain in the bed or do the onions have to overwinter elsewhere?
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The original home of the gladiolus is in Africa and the warm regions of the Mediterranean countries. The plant has adjusted perfectly to the prevailing hot weather conditions there. Accordingly, during the cold season, the onions may only remain in the soil in areas where no night frosts are at risk.
Only a few species are so hardy that they survive a long, cold winter unscathed. These species can overwinter well protected by a thick foliage or brushed layer outside. If you are not sure whether the gladioli you have kept are frost resistant, you should always dig up the bulbs and store them in the house until the next spring.
Winter gladioli
Make sure you dig out the onions before the first night frosts. Proceed as follows:
Store frost-free but not too warm
Once the onions are well dried, the soil, which is still loosely attached, is removed and the onions can be moved to their winter storage. The room must be frost-free. At the same time a temperature of fifteen degrees should not be exceeded, so that the gladioli do not drift prematurely. You no longer have to spread the onions, but you can lay them loose in a small vegetable crate or airy cardboard box.
Tips
Add a mixture of sand and earth to the container to prevent the onions from completely drying out. As a result, the tubers drive out better in the spring.