Gladiolus · Chengdu, Sichuan, China
When to plant gladioli in Chengdu
Main outdoor window
28 Feb - 28 Mar
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
14 February
In Chengdu, on your chosen risk.
First flowers
1 Jul - 30 Sep
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Chengdu
Download these planting dates (.ics)
Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.
Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.
Plant the corms
28 Feb - 28 Mar
After the last frost, once the soil has warmed. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.
In flower
1 Jul - 30 Sep
Gladioli through the year
Against the frost risk in Chengdu
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Chengdu
July has the highest average precipitation (224 mm); December has the lowest (12 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.
Monthly growing conditions in Chengdu
Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.8°C (33.4°F)33.4°F (0.8°C) | 11.6°C (52.8°F)52.8°F (11.6°C) | 12.1 |
| February | 3.1°C (37.6°F)37.6°F (3.1°C) | 14.8°C (58.6°F)58.6°F (14.8°C) | 3.7 |
| March | 8.1°C (46.5°F)46.5°F (8.1°C) | 20.4°C (68.8°F)68.8°F (20.4°C) | 0.1 |
| April | 13.2°C (55.8°F)55.8°F (13.2°C) | 26°C (78.8°F)78.8°F (26°C) | 0.0 |
| May | 17.5°C (63.5°F)63.5°F (17.5°C) | 29.8°C (85.7°F)85.7°F (29.8°C) | 0.0 |
| June | 21°C (69.7°F)69.7°F (21°C) | 32.4°C (90.4°F)90.4°F (32.4°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 23.2°C (73.7°F)73.7°F (23.2°C) | 32.7°C (90.8°F)90.8°F (32.7°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 22.5°C (72.6°F)72.6°F (22.5°C) | 31.5°C (88.6°F)88.6°F (31.5°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 18.8°C (65.8°F)65.8°F (18.8°C) | 27.9°C (82.3°F)82.3°F (27.9°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 13.7°C (56.7°F)56.7°F (13.7°C) | 23°C (73.4°F)73.4°F (23°C) | 0.0 |
| November | 8°C (46.4°F)46.4°F (8°C) | 18°C (64.4°F)64.4°F (18°C) | 0.3 |
| December | 2.2°C (36°F)36°F (2.2°C) | 12.5°C (54.5°F)54.5°F (12.5°C) | 6.1 |
For gladioli, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.
Local growing check
Before choosing gladioli for Chengdu
- July is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 224 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.
Before you plant gladioli
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 12°C (53.6°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Check the local overnight forecast before planting out. Delay planting or keep protection ready if frost is forecast, even after the historical last-frost date.
- Check mature size, drainage and cultivar suitability before choosing a permanent position. A suitable planting window does not guarantee long-term survival or fruiting.
Stagger corm planting and support tall flower spikes
Provide sun, shelter from strong wind and drained soil with moisture during growth. Put supports in place before the spikes bend or fall. Check the specific cultivar's winter hardiness rather than assuming all gladioli need identical storage.
Where corms must be lifted, dry and store sound material under suitable conditions and inspect for rot or thrips. Label each batch so its flowering interval can guide the next season. Avoid saving visibly diseased corms with healthy stock.
What to record this season
How much time separated planting batches and their usable flower spikes? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: Gladiolus (Aunt Eliza Rat's Rail, Gladiola, Gladiolus, Glads, Sword Lilies, Sword Lily) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The reference describes plant identity and cultivation. Its regional calendar months and hardiness observations do not validate the calculated dates for another location. This reference covers the broader plant group; confirm the named form and its specific requirements with the supplier.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Provide sun, shelter from strong wind and drained soil with moisture during growth. Put supports in place before the spikes bend or fall. Check the specific cultivar's winter hardiness rather than assuming all gladioli need identical storage.
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.
Gladioli are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Chengdu has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.
Chengdu is zone 9b, within the crop's general range. This is an initial cold-hardiness check; cultivar, exposure, drainage and unusual winters can still change the outcome.
Also in Chengdu
Other flowers to time
Growing gladioli in Chengdu
Can I grow gladioli in Chengdu?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. July is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 224 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
When should I plant gladioli in Chengdu?
Aim for 28 Feb - 28 Mar in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 20 Mar - 17 Apr - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When might gladioli flower in Chengdu?
The estimated period is 1 Jul - 30 Sep, based on 70 to 100 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.
How much frost will gladioli tolerate?
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.