When to sow gladioli in Netanya

Why these dates

Plant corms after the last frost once the soil is above 12C, 10cm deep, and keep planting at two-week intervals until midsummer for a succession of spikes. Tall cultivars need staking or a sheltered spot; a spike in full flower is top-heavy and snaps at the base in wind.

Killed by frost at about -2C. The corms will not survive a freezing soil, so below zone 8 lift them once the leaves yellow, dry them for a fortnight and store frost-free.

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 Netanya has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Netanya is zone 10b, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

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