Don't be surprised at the number of glads you may 'hook" to keep your garden clean and healthy. An internationally famous showman never hesitated to remove plants showing evidence of disease. He simply dug them out and promptly replaced them with an onion set. From this practice, he gained in two ways: The onion plant marked the spot where a glad tried to grow and later provided a tasty garnishment for his hamburgers. Here at Calumet Hill Farm, we replace the diseased glads with dwarf marigolds and find their late fall blooms quite beautiful amongst the glads. So remember, every unhealthy or weak plant must be dug up and removed from the garden as soon as you spot any deficiency.

Glad growers call the blooming portion of the plant a spike. When the spikes start pushing through their sheaths, blossom time isn't far away. It's also time to bring your dusting program to a near halt for these particular plants. Our very last dusting on any one plant occurs when the spike is fully emerged from the stem. That's it. Ten to twelve days later, the first floret (blossom) will open and any excess dust remaining on the spike could damage the floret's petals.

The first morning you discover bloom in your glad garden will be the initial dividend of your hard work. So enjoy it! When you return home from work that same day (if you're not retired!), other plants may also greet you with their fine display of color and beauty. You can let these spikes adorn your garden or feel free to cut some of these glads for use in your home, office, church or some other worthwhile activity. Go right ahead! That's why you're growing glads, to use and enjoy them - your way!

Experience has taught us that cutting glads early in the morning produces a flower that remains crisp, fresh and beautiful longer than spikes cut at other times of the day. When possible, avoid cutting in the hottest part of the day. Store the spikes in a cool place in warm water immediately after cutting. Handle the spikes gently, making sure they don't touch one another by placing them in separate containers whenever

possible. As the blooming season reveals all of its delights to you, thoughts will come concerning its ending. You have read or heard that gladiolus bulbs can be saved from year to year. This is true to some extent. When you purchased your vegetable seeds, you knew the harvested crop would compensate for the cost of the seeds. With glads, you have two options. You can be satisfied with the results obtained from the bloomed

spikes. Just dig out the plants after bloom and discard them. Next year buy new bulbs and start fresh. The other option is to dig out the plants six weeks after bloom (or after a frost if that comes first) and save these new bulbs for next year's glad garden.

The digging and storing of glad bulbs is, in itself, a separate undertaking, one covered many times in articles previously published in NAGC Bulletins. Perhaps our good editor can replay one of these fine articles and spare us the task of writing our version of bulb storage at Calumet Hill Farm.

Here's hoping your glad growing in 1983 is a thing of beauty and a joy to you for years to come!

SUMMER 1983