I'm in Missouri, zone 5, and this grass-like growth came up next to my gladiolas this spring. At least, I thought it was grass until I went to remove it, then I discovered lots of tiny little 'bulbs'. What is this stuff? Are they baby glads? It's not growing around any of the others.
Dawn
Dawn! Congratulations - break out the cigars. You are the proud parent of lots of baby glads. They sometimes survive the winter. Not only is this a sign of good luck, but it's also a clue to the location of a mini-climate in your yard where you might get away with planting other things that theoretically aren't supposed to survive the winter. Were these near the house foundation or big stones?
Great! Yes, I planted them on the west side of the garage last year, several inches deeper than suggested, in the hopes they would survive. I love glads, but it's supposed to be too cold for them here. It also helped that we had an extremely mild winter.
Thanks Doug!
Dawn
That's exactly the kind of spot where mine usually survive. Good luck keeping the colors sorted out. :) My gladiola area ended up looking like clown pants.
Will the babies be the same color as the parent plant? Sorry if that sounds like a stupid question. I've never had glads spawn before. The bulbs I bought are a random mix, and I have no idea what colors I got. I was trying to inject color into a very drab yard. I just hope I didn't kill too many of them by digging in them.
Dawn
Yes, they'll be the same color. They split off from the larger bulbs, which is an example of vegetative reproduction. (George Bush's kids are another example). There's no funny business going on with the chromosomes.
LOL! Ok, thanks. I wasn't sure if "mixed colors" meant there'd be variation from the same plant, or not.
Dawn
No - they get mixed if you decide to move them, and then someone comes over to chat, kicks the tray you have the bulbs in, and they become "assorted". :)
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