GLADIOLA CORMS - PULL, BREAK APART, and STORE for SPRING

Gladiola are one of the blooms which grow from a CORM. During it's growth and bloom, another corm is growing, attached to it.  After bloom time, gently pull the corms apart, discarding the old one.  It will never bloom again.  The corms are easily stored through the winter months, as long as they are in a dry, cool place.  I store mine in mesh bags that my oranges or onions come in from the grocery store.  I hang them up in the shed in our garage, with no special instructions other than that.  They will be planted in the spring, at two-week intervals.  This gives me a constant bloom of them through the summer and into fall.  I just picked my last gladiola day before yesterday.  I usually wait until the foliage has completely yellowed to pull them, but because of our late season, and then the forecast of freezing temperatures the last few nights, I pulled most of them a couple days ago.  They have been drying out in the garage.  Today I will break the old corm away from the new one, then break off the top foliage.  Then I'll simply hang the mesh bag in the shed and wait until next spring to plant.  It's just that easy!  Occasionally I will have a corm that shrivels, but rarely--they stay nice and firm.  If I want to plant certain colors, I mark the mesh bag with the color it contains.  If I don't care where they are planted, I don't have to worry about keeping them separated.  I have also experimented with them, not pulling them at the end of the season, and have had great luck with just about every single one coming up and blooming the following season.  They are hardy in zones 6 and above, and I'm in 5, so it's marginal.  I like that this colorful bloom is so easy and carefree, and also inexpensive to purchase.