Understated, elegant blooms nod their heads demurely from the tops of swaying, slender stems. Eye-catching maroon stars mark the centre of each simple white flower, filling the air with a sweet, heady perfume.
Gladiolus ?Midnight Mix? has a gorgeous mix of lavender, violet and white flowers which make a stunning display and a must have for some gorgeous late summer colours in the garden.
This sturdy upright Gladiolus ?Tango? adds some vibrancy to any border with its mauve pink ruffles flowers.
The tall, stately stems of Gladiolus 'Macarena' are densely packed with impressive violet purple blooms, each with exquisite white markings . The tall stems add stately architecture and summer colour to mixed borders.
This stunning Sword Lily adds some sunshine to any corner of the garden or even house once cut for flower arrangements.
The Gladiolus ?Brown Sugar? adds some exotic colour and vibrancy to any space, whether in borders in the garden or cut and added into flower arrangements.
A member of the onion family, alliums are one of the iconic summer bulbs, with their purple globes of flowers adding height and texture to pots and borders. 'Gladiator' is one of the larger globe alliums and is grown mainly for its highly decorative flower heads, which can be cut as flowers for the home or left to add drama to pots and borders. A perennial bulb and winter hardy, Allium 'Gladiator' returns each year, multiplying when happy with its position and contrasting magically with greens and other shades of purple. Fully deserving its coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit, you can be sure that this is a proven garden performer, guaranteed to be suitable for UK gardeners at every level of experience. You can therefore plant this in the garden with confidence, for stunning displays for many years to come. Also recommended by the RHS as a 'Plant for Pollinators' Gladiator is a perfect plant to bring wildlife into your garden. Supplied as a pack of 5 bulbs size 16/18 ready for planting out in autumn. Flowering in June, plants will reach 150cm, and flower in June.
A lovely mix of the more compact Gladioli species, which gets best results from planting in Autumn or early Winter, unlike the bolder and brasher cousins. Unlike them too, they have a lovely blended palette of pinks, reds, whites and blush colours, often weith the characteristic fuchsia pink lipstick marking on the petals, making them something quite different and unqiue. Forget big and bold showy Gladioli, these are understated beauties, plant them in groups of 5 or 10 mixed in to borders, for Summer colour. Good for cut flowers too, despite being shorter stemmed. Supplied as a pack of 50 mixed bulbs, size 7/8 ready to plant out in autumn.
Gladiolus communis byzantinus, also known as the Byzantine gladiolus, is a reliable cottage-garden perennial, with striking sword-shaped leaves. Erect spikes of magenta trumpet flowers are produced from late spring Easy to grow, plants can be left to naturalise where they will spread freely and produce a mass of gorgeous colour - the perfect way to get larger displays year after year. Plus they won't need staking so really easy to look after! Perfect to grow as a cut flower, byzantinus can also be dotted about between shrubs and other herbaceous perennials where they add height and a dramatic colour contrast in flower beds and even pots. Holder of the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit, you can be sure that this is a garden-worthy plant sure to perform - giving you years of glorious colour. Supplied as a pack of 50 bulbs, size 7/8 ready to plant out i autumn.
This species Gladiolus is graceful and elegant ? a far cry from the flamboyant Sword Lilies found in many UK gardens. Gladiolus communis subsp. byzantinus produces its slender swaying stems of cerise pink blooms in late spring and early summer, bridging the colour gap between fading spring bulbs and budding summer perennials.
A long-established favourite of the vegetable garden, 'Gladiator F1' is a top-quality variety that produces long, wedge-shaped roots with smooth skin and clean white flesh, so they are easy to wash and require minimum peeling. This winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit is winter hardy, canker resistant and a reliably heavy cropper that matures early, so can be lifted from October. They keep well in the ground to harvest over the growing season as required for the kitchen. Indeed, their fabulously sweet flavour is even better after the first frosts, which turn some of the starch into sugar. As well as being delicious, they are nutritious too, being a good source of vitamin C, folate, potassium and fibre, as well as low in calories. Easy to grow, parsnips prefer a light sandy, fertile soil that has been well worked and deeply dug so is free of stones, as this will ensure full sized, well-shaped roots of exhibition quality. Try growing faster cropping vegetables such as radish and lettuce in between parsnip rows to maximise the productivity of your plot. Supplied as a packet of 200 (approx.) seeds ready to sow outdoors from February to May, 40cm (16in) apart, directly into their cropping position. Harvest from October to February.