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Gladiolus byzantinus lovers, can you help?

johnnypenstemonjohnnypenstemon Posts: 120
in Plants
Morning all, the two Gladiolus byzantinus pictured are different to the regular GB I am used to. These are taller, with bigger, brighter blooms and flower for longer. I think they came from RHS Wisley’s nursery, with no mention of a specific cultivar. Does anyone know what strain of GB these particular beauties are so that I can source more? A regular Gladiolus byzantinus is pictured to the left in the second pic for reference. Many thanks, Johnny



Posts

  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    The taller, bolder flowers look like Byzantinus and I think the one on the left, second pic, is G. Italicus - smaller flowers - often mislabelled as Byzantinus.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • johnnypenstemonjohnnypenstemon Posts: 120
    Nollie said:
    The taller, bolder flowers look like Byzantinus and I think the one on the left, second pic, is G. Italicus - smaller flowers - often mislabelled as Byzantinus.
    Many thanks Nollie. Thinking back, I remember seeing cautions that G. byzantinus is often incorrectly labelled. Given the number of times I’ve bought the bulbs and they’ve emerged as the smaller variant, an awful lot of ostensibly experienced retailers are getting this wrong!
  • Jlpknight87Jlpknight87 Posts: 25
    Agreed. I inherited my garden last year and this year the leaves have turned yellow! A bit of research suggusts I should of dug up the bulbs and stored them over winter...
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Happened to me this year, Johnny, from a very well known and respected bulb supplier - I’m absolutely convinced they are Italicus, smaller plants, smaller flowers, more wishy-washy colour. I bought some as I used to love seeing them growing wild in olive groves further south from where I am now - was so disappointed they were not the genuine article! In current circumstances, I didn’t bother to complain, but will be trying another supplier next time.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • johnnypenstemonjohnnypenstemon Posts: 120
    I’m absolutely convinced they are Italicus, smaller plants, smaller flowers, more wishy-washy colour. I bought some as I used to love seeing them growing wild in olive groves further south from where I am now - was so disappointed they were not the genuine article! In current circumstances, I didn’t bother to complain, but will be trying another supplier next time. I’ll race you Nollie! If you source some that turn out to be the real thing please post here and I’ll do the same. I must have bought them (both bulbs and young plants) half a dozen times in the last few years, and the duo from Wisley were the only genuine article.
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    ...these are Gladiolus x italicus… if you want to compare... a washed out pink but some people prefer them..
    ...they are often sold as Byzantinus unfortunately...
    Too weedy for me, I'm still trying to get rid of them..


    East Anglia, England
  • johnnypenstemonjohnnypenstemon Posts: 120
    Marlorena said:
    ...these are Gladiolus x italicus… if you want to compare... a washed out pink but some people prefer them..
    ...they are often sold as Byzantinus unfortunately...
    Too weedy for me, I'm still trying to get rid of them..


    Thanks Marlorena. Agree with the weedy allusion; my long-established italicas produce masses of bulblets and creeping colonies crowd out neighbours, but there is less flowering. Less than ideal, digging them out.

    Talking of the foliage, every year I see this partially stripped on several plants before flowering, sometimes to tatters, but I can’t work out if snails or cats are the culprits. The latter seem to enjoy a chew on strappy stuff (e.g. carex foliage) around our way.

    Cheers, Johnny


  • johnnypenstemonjohnnypenstemon Posts: 120
    For anyone interested in getting hold of genuine G. Byzantinus, as discussed with Nollie, I tried Great Dixter’s nursery shop as Christopher Lloyd was a big fan of GBs:

    “The gladiolus which most endears itself to me is the prolific G. communis subsp. byzantinus, long known as G. byzantinus. . . . In its widely cultivated form, [it] is brilliant, dashing magenta, flowering late-May to mid-June. It tucks into many border positions where it will not get in the way after flowering, for example up against a group of border phloxes . . . . Another use of it I fancy is in a meadow community, where it holds its own well.”
    Christopher Lloyd, Garden Flowers 2000

    Sure enough, the GD catalogue is unequivocal on their plants’ provenance:

    “Our form has bold, rich magenta flowers, vegetatively propagated from our garden stock, and not the wishy-washy inferior pretender so often sold by bulb firms.”

    Here’s a link to their online shop’s GB offering:

  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Missed your challenge there, Johnnny! Avon Bulbs used to sell Byzantinus but they have disappeared from their catalogue. I will try and source some over here in the autumn.

    I am glad I started off the pale imitators in pots, I dumped them, definitely don’t want them spreading around!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • johnnypenstemonjohnnypenstemon Posts: 120
    Nollie said:
    Missed your challenge there, Johnnny! Avon Bulbs used to sell Byzantinus but they have disappeared from their catalogue. I will try and source some over here in the autumn.

    I am glad I started off the pale imitators in pots, I dumped them, definitely don’t want them spreading around!
    Not surprised you missed it Nollie, the formatting on that post messed up! Guessing that Great Dixter don’t ship to Spain; good luck and hope you find the real deal.
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