Gladiolus are a tender bulb (actually a corm). They are an old fashioned cutting flower that is making a comeback because they are SO easy to grow, so inexpensive when you plant them from corms. I add them in clusters of 3-5 bulbs between my perennials. That way, when they come up and bloom later in the summer, they are a startling surprise. Some folks line them out in rows in a formal cutting garden. No matter how you grow them, they are super-simple. Gladiolus were my mother's favorite flower. I bought them for her every year on her birthday. Now I grow them in her honor. Dig and store them in a cool cellar over the winter. An easy bulb to store. -Nancy