Gladiolus - The Flower for August

Every month has a specific flower assigned to - it’s ‘birth month flower’. The flower for the month of August is the gladiolus.

Gladiolus is a dramatic, striking-looking flower. Its tall, elegant stems are topped with multiple flower blossoms with frilly, ruffled edges. ‘Glads’, as they’re fondly referred to, come in a multitude of colours – white, pinks, purples, oranges, yellows, and reds. They make superb cut flowers and are often used in memorial arrangements, as a tribute to loved ones.

The fun thing about gladiolus is its name. It means ‘little sword’ in Latin, and in fact, is sometimes called ‘the sword lily’. It’s also associated with the Roman word for gladiators. Legend has it when someone gives a gladiolus as a gift, the giver is ‘piercing the recipient's heart with love’. In the language of flowers, the meaning for gladiolus is ‘strength of character’ – another reference to their connection with gladiators. 

Gladioli’s vase life is one to two weeks depending on how you care for them. To get the best results, the first thing you need to do is make sure you select straight, strong, fresh stems with flower buds just starting to open up and show their colour. Once you get them home choose a heavy vase that is one-third the height of the flowers. This flower arrangement will be top-heavy. If you feel the base of your vase isn’t heavy enough to be stable and could tip over once the flowers are added, put some pebbles or decorative glass beads into the bottom of it. I also choose a wide-mouthed vase so the gladioli have room to fan out, letting the bottom florets be seen, as well the top. Then all you need to do is keep your vase topped up with fresh water to keep these flowers looking bright and fresh for as long as possible. 

Note: As well as being the flower for the month of August, Gladiolus is the flower associated with a fortieth wedding anniversary.