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| White Gladioli |
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| Cerise and Red Gladioli Flowers |
Say the word Gladioli and images of Dame Edna and Morrissey spring to mind, plus words like brash and masculine, describe Gladioli to me, until I gave them a closer look, when photographing them for my birth flower series.
Gladioli represent strength of character, moral integrity and sincerity and since my birthday is in August, it's the birth flower for me.
When I was looking for Gladioli to photograph, they always seemed to be planted singly, rather than in a group, which makes them look a bit standoffish and haughty and I therefore found it difficult to find the right composition, apart from a beautiful white one with a splash of raspberry in its throat. It reminded me of raspberry ripple ice-cream.
I remedied this by buying a couple of bunches from the supermarket. A gorgeous clash or red and cerise.
I think on reflection, I judged Gladioli far to harshly, rather than taking the time to get to know them.
Whether you like the bold colours or the soft hues, I think the key is to plant them in a group, something we gardeners don't always get right, when planting bulbs.
