When to sow gladioli in Nizhniy Novgorod

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

Nizhniy Novgorod sits in zone 4a, which is colder than this crop is rated for, so it will need winter protection or a container that can be moved under cover. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.

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