Gladiolus grandiflorus Break of Dawn - Sword Lily

Gladiolus 'Break of Dawn', registered in 1975, is a variety of gladiolus whose shorter floral stems are filled with an abundance of flower buds. Its summer flowering is quite early for a gladiolus. It is composed of medium-sized florets with white petals and a pale-yellow throat. As bright as they are elegant, these floral spikes blend beautifully with the light foliage of fennels, grasses, and green blooms, both in flower beds and in bouquets.

The genus Gladiolus belongs to the Iridaceae family. Gladioli originate from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. The most colourful gladiolus species come from South Africa. Cultivated gladioli are hybrids with large flowers, divided into 3 main groups: Grandiflorus (with large flowers), Primulinus (early), and Nanus (butterflies). 'Break of Dawn' is part of the Grandiflorus group. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with corms (globose bulbs) and wide sword-shaped leaves arranged in a fan shape. It forms a clump about 70cm (28in) tall when in bloom, depending on growing conditions. The leaves are topped by a spike-shaped inflorescence, with funnel-shaped flowers that are 9cm (4in) wide. They are arranged unilaterally, almost on the same side of the floral stem. They display two shades of white, speckled with pale-yellow at the throat and with a small green heart. The 6 tepals (or undifferentiated petals) are slightly undulated.

Gladioli and their colourful flower stalks are a symbol of the 1970s and somewhat formal floral arrangements. While they are irreplaceable in bouquets, their silhouette in gardens needs the presence of plants with lush foliage that will enhance their flowers. Plant them in groups in beds with salvias, small grasses, linarias, monardas, wallflowers, and forget-me-nots to create large colourful bouquets. They are regulars in cottage gardens. For bouquets, cut the flower stalks when the first floret starts to open. Plant them at intervals of two weeks from early spring until the end of June to have flowers in the house and garden all summer long.

Gladiolus gets its name from the shape of its sword-like leaves, derived from the Latin word gladius.

About botanical gladioli

Wild gladioli are far from the cultivated varieties with elaborate blooms. However, they are an interesting alternative for gardeners, and it is perfectly possible to welcome them in our gardens, as many of them originate from our temperate climates and are still very elegant.

The most common ones are Gladiolus byzantinus, with its pink-purple spring flowering, which naturalises itself, and Gladiolus x colvillei, which displays flowers in various colours that are usually marked with pink or red at the throat. Among the very hardy species that naturalise, there is Gladiolus communis from southern Europe, with pink flowers striped or speckled with white or red. Gladiolus illyricus, widespread from southern England to the Caucasus, forms superb spikes of magenta-violet flowers streaked with white. Gladiolus imbricatus has crimson-violet flowers with a very bright white spot highlighted with carmine purple.