• Stunning burgundy-red flowerspires.
• Fantastic for ‘hot’-themed borders.
• Beautiful late summer colour.
• Excellent cut flowers

Gladiolus ‘Espresso’ brings a note of sophisticated glamour to the garden with its tall flowerspires of dark burgundy-red flowers. One of the darkest gladiolus available, it looks stunning combined with warm oranges and yellows, providing late summer colour in ‘hot’-themed borders. The tall flowerspires are also superb as cut flowers.

How you will receive your bulbs:

Selected by our team of experts and sent from our nursery, you will receive your bulbs in a breathable mesh bag. This is to keep the bulbs together in a pack that is nice and airy – perfect to keep the bulbs healthy while in transit.

Can’t plant straight away?

Keep your bulbs in a cool, light, and dry place and preferably hanging on a hook so that air can get to the bulbs at all angles. Ideally, you should aim to plant your bulbs within a week of receiving them, but if this is not possible, store them in a cool, dark place until you are ready to plant them.

Planting tips and hints:

Planting in the ground: Plant outdoors from May to July (they can be planted 2-3 weeks before the last frost is expected). Plant in a moist but well-drained, fertile soil in full sun. Dig in plenty of well-rotted farmyard manure before planting. Ideally, use a bulb planter to dig holes around 15cm (6in) deep, spaced 10-15cm (4-6in) apart. Put in stakes for tall gladioli before planting the corms, to avoid damaging them.

Planting in containers:

Plant gladiolus corms in pots indoors in March or April or in outdoor containers from May to July. Fill pots with a good multi-purpose compost mixed with grit. Space corms 10-15cm (4-6in) apart. Keep indoor pots in a cool, bright, frost-free place until ready to move outdoors.

Feeding and aftercare:.

Once flowerspikes appear, feed the plants fortnightly with a high potash fertiliser like liquid tomato feed. Water regularly, especially in dry periods. Cut back faded flowerstems.

Stop watering once the leaves start to fade. Once the foliage has faded in autumn, lift the corms, cut off the stems and store the corms in a cool, dry, frost-free place indoors in trays filled with sand. Divide overgrown clumps every 2-3 years and replant the strongest corms. In mild areas, it may be possible to apply a thick mulch to cover the corms in the ground over winter instead of lifting them.

*Planting and flowering months below are subject to seasonal weather conditions.