Have you seen Mary Husey ?

Gladioli Mary Husey flower spikes soar above their sword like leaves and provide their blooms in a pleasing arrangement at height of around 3’ high; their habit thus sparing me another back bending examination experience. Very welcome that is too at the moment, as I am struggling with joint pain in the right hip and knee after one of my increasingly frequent tumbles amongst the greenery. I am thinking of having stabilisers fitted.

Criticism often heard about the plants is that they can be 'a little blowsy (blousy)'; they were out of fashion for a while, but it would seem that Gladioli are back in vogue. Pioneering work by Dame Edna Everage in promoting the ‘Glad’ has undoubtedly paid off. And I for one am more than happy about the news; in fact I have just planted additional Gladioli corms. Mediterranean garden pests, so far at least, seem to leave them alone.

Once the flowers have revealed their true colouration I am sure that I will have to lift some them and find suitable companion plants to tone with them. But that is no hardship when you look at the rewards.