Soil. Gladiolus thrive in rich, well-drained, sandy loam soil. If the soil is too heavy and wet, the corms will rot. Light: These plants prefer full sun when growing and blooming. Gladiolus corms can also flower in the shade, but the colors are not as vivid as when grown under full sun. Also, if grown under the shade, the plant won’t grow quite as well.Spacing: Space the gladiolus corms at least 6 to 10 inches apart in the garden.Planting: Plant your gladiolus corms in spring, 2 weeks before the last expected frost date.
Feed your plants with a liquid fertilizer every fortnight to help promote vigorous growth. Once the flower spikes develop, switch to a high potash fertilizer.
Fertilizer
Gladiolus doesn’t like growing among wees, therefore weed before planting these flowers.
Mulching
Most varieties are not completely hardy, so you will need to lift the corms and store them throughout winter.
If you love growing gladiolus, you can cut blooms for bouquets. Cut the flower spikes on a slant when the lowest flowers on the stalk begin to show color.