Like so many of our plants, the gladiolus started out its life in gardens (as compared to life in its wild state) as a plant for practical uses. In 1597, the herbalist Gerard was growing two European species. He reported that "a poultice made of the root was good for drawing out splinters and thorns in the flesh" and that "the cods with the seed dried and beaten into pouder, and drunk in Goats milke or Asses milke, presently taketh away the paine of the Colique".

By 1629 the apothecary and herbalist John Parkinson, who wrote the first English illustrated book primarily on ornamental plants, had introduced G. byzantinus to his garden. But he grumbled bitterly at the propensity of some species gladiolus to spread "so that if it be suffered any long time in a Garden, it will rather choake and pester it, than be an ornament unto it". Here on the west coast, where every wee cormlet left in the ground in the fall sprouts in the spring, home gardeners will empathize with Parkinson.

Add compost and/or composted manure and a little bone meal, mixing these materials thoroughly into the ground so that you end up with a humus-rich, loose soil. Excellent drainage is essential.

Begin planting the corms as the soil starts warming in the spring. Set the corms four to six inches deep and the same distance apart depending upon the size of the corm. Use the shallower planting in heavy-textured soils. Once top growth is well above ground, begin watering the site deeply. Wait until a good upper layer of soil has dried before watering again. Avoid frequent light sprinklings in favor of well-spaced, thorough soakings that penetrate the soil 12 inches deep if possible.

For a good succession of gladiolus bloom, plant a group of the corms every two weeks during April and May. For the best in cut flower gladiolus, cut the spikes in the cool of the evening or early morning as soon as the first bloom opens. Allow at least four leaves to remain on each plant so that it can continue "working" to build a new corm. Re-cut each stem on an angle before arranging in water, where the flowerstems will continue opening their individual flowers right to the top ones.

Gladiolus plants need eight weeks of good green growth following bloom in order to mature a new corm. After that the plants can be dug, the foliage cut off and burned or trashed, and the corms dried and cured in a warm (27 C/80 F) place for two to three weeks. With the old corms removed, the new corms will store best in dry, dark conditions with good air circulation and at temperatures in the 10 to 15 C/50 to 60 F range.