Pruning Gladioli Really Only Requires An End-Of-Season Removal Of Dying Foliage
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
Contributions From FRED MILLER
Fred Miller is a long-time member and Secretary of the Empire State Gladiolus Society with an affinity for gladioli and other bulbous plants.
If you want to enjoy the summertime in the company of large trumpet-shaped flowers of brilliant hues arranged in thick clusters that often grow to over 1m tall, you’ll hit the jackpot with gladiola plants.
Gladioli are long-lived cormous perennials that not only put on a colour show during summer but are very low-maintenance.
Because of this, they are among the few plants that do not require pruning for form or shape, nor should they be pruned.
They do not produce an overabundance of foliage, and what there is of those bright sword-shaped leaves is neat and tidy to begin with.
Where gladioli are concerned, pruning really encompasses routine cleaning up and an end-of-season removal of dying foliage.
“Larger flowered cultivars in particular will benefit in appearance for having wilted flowers removed,” says Colin Skelly, Master Horticulturist.
“Species types, though, could easily be left without detracting from their impact, particularly if in a mixed perennial border.”
You can prune gladioli by following these steps:
- Pinch off any wilted flowers.
- Cut the fading flower stalks.
- Remove withered leaves.
This process is explained in more depth below.
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Equipment Required | Gardening gloves, secateurs or hand shears |
| When To Prune | Continually May through August, then one-time in October |
1) Pinch Off Wilted Flowers
Shortly after the start of the blooming season, flowers on a given stalk will wilt and wither in ones and twos.
These will detract from the beauty of the plant.
Fred Miller, long-time Secretary from the Empire State Gladiolus Group, explains how gladiolus blooms from the bottom up, meaning that you should start at the bottom of the plant, removing the wilted florets when necessary.
When you spot such dying blooms, gently grasp the stalk with one hand and pinch off the flower with the other by holding it between forefinger and thumb and twist-plucking it off.
2) Cut Fading Flower Stalks
Later in the season, on a given stalk, a large number of the flowers will be fading and wilting.
Fred argues: “As the gladiolus bloom, they bloom from the bottom up.
“If you have them in the garden, remove the spoiled florets as needed.
“If you have them in a vase, do the same, and also cut the stem down (a new cut will allow it to drink better, and it will keep a better form).”
3) Remove Withered Leaves
Do not prune the leaves after the flowering season is over as they will be producing energy reserves for the corm for the following year’s blooms, so let them remain there as long as possible.
It is only after the leaves have yellowed and started to wither, sometime in mid-autumn, that you should cut them off with a pair of secateurs.
However, if the first frost arrives before the leaves have fully withered, then cut them off and protect the corm.
Now the corm is finally done for the season.
