Gladiolus and Dahlias: Fun Facts and Garden History for these August Garden Superstars

"I’ll never forget what my friend Joel Karsten, the author of Straw Bale Gardening, told me about how easy it is to plant Gladiolus in conditioned straw bales. Once the flowers are done blooming in the fall, you kick the straw bale over, and all the corms fall out for easy gathering."

March 4, 1956

On this day, the Chicago Tribune ran two advertisements for Gladiolus and Dahlias by R. H. Shumway.

The Gladiolus were being sold as a rainbow mixture.

Fifty bulbs cost $1.00, 100 bulbs cost $1.75 and 200 bulbs cost $3.25.

The Dahlias were the New Giant variety, and two bulbs cost 25 cents, which also covered the postage cost.

Right about now is the perfect time to order Gladiolus and Dahlias.

Gladiolus are the official flower of August.

Gladiolus's etymology is Latin and means “little sword” in reference to the shape of the flowers.

The corms have been used medicinally to help extract slivers or thorns.

In cold climates, once you plant your Gladiolus and enjoy their blooms in late summer, you can dig the bulbs up in the fall and store them until you can plant them again in the spring.

And I’ll never forget what my friend Joel Karsten, the author of Straw Bale Gardening, told me about how easy it is to plant Gladiolus in conditioned straw bales. Once the flowers are done blooming in the fall, you kick the straw bale over, and all the corms fall out for easy gathering.

As for the beautiful Dahlia, it was initially grown as a food crop. The tubers are edible and taste a little like other root vegetables: the potato and the carrot.

The Dahlia is named to honor the Swedish botanist Anders Dahl. Dahlias are in the same family as Common Daisies and Sunflowers.

Dahlias come in all shapes and sizes; some are as large as dinner plates.

And here’s a final fun fact about the Dahlia: it’s the official flower of the city of destiny and goodwill: Seattle.