Gladiolus primulinus Bizar - Sword Lily

The Gladiolus 'Bizar' (also known as Bizarre) is a variety of gladiolus that is not very tall, with small brightly bi-coloured flowers that don't go unnoticed under the summer sun. They bloom on plants that don't require staking, making them well-suited for borders and container gardening. With its dazzling colour, this gladiolus stands on its own. To accompany it, choose red, white, or green flowers, and surround it with foliage plants like alchemilla or fennel, for example.

Originally from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, belonging to the Iridaceae family, the most colourful gladioli species come from South Africa. Cultivated gladioli are hybrids with large flowers, divided into three main groups: Grandiflorus (large-flowered), Primulinus, and Nanus (butterflies). 'Bizar' belongs to the Primulinus group, with flowers spaced further apart on the stems. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with corms (globose bulbs), broad sword-shaped leaves arranged in a fan shape, forming a clump that reaches approximately 60 cm (24in) in height, depending on the growing conditions. The leaves are topped by a spike-shaped inflorescence, with funnel-shaped flowers arranged unilaterally, almost on the same side of the sturdy flower stem. They are largely maculate with cherry red at the throat, on a white background.

Gladioli and their long colourful stems, often a bit ostentatious, are a symbol of the 70s and slightly formal floral arrangements. While they are irreplaceable in bouquets, in gardens, their silhouette benefits from the company of plants with lush or, conversely, delicate foliage, which will highlight their slightly dense flowering. Plant them in groups in beds with salvias, small grasses, linaria, monardas, wallflowers, and forget-me-nots to create large colourful bouquets. They are regulars in herb gardens, where they accompany vegetables even in the kitchen garden. For bouquet making, cut the flower spikes when the first floret starts to open. Plant them at intervals of two weeks from early spring until the end of June to enjoy flowers in the house and garden all summer long.

The gladiolus gets its name from the shape of its sword-like leaves, derived from the Latin word gladius. Its wild forms were often represented in jewellery or on carpets and fabrics made by the Semitic people before the Christian era.

About botanical gladioli:

Far from the cultivated blooms, but offering the advantage of growing like wild plants, botanical gladioli are an interesting alternative for gardeners: it is quite possible to have them in the garden, as many of them, very elegant, are native to our temperate climates.

The most common ones are Gladiolus byzantinus, with its spring blooming pink-purple flowers, which naturalise well. Gladiolus x colvillii displays flowers with various colours, usually marked with pink or red at the throat. Among the very hardy species that naturalise, we can mention Gladiolus communis from southern Europe, with pink flowers striped or maculate 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 bears crimson-violet flowers with a very bright white spot outlined in carmine purple.