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Gladiolus
Habit (mature) · Rudolphous / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Limited coverage
Gladiolus
Gladiolus (hybrid)
The classic "sword lily" of the summer cut-flower garden — a corm-grown hybrid (commonly designated Gladiolus × hortulanus) descended from at least eight mostly South African species. Sword-shaped leaves rise in upright fans below a one-sided spike of funnel-shaped blooms that open bottom-to-top in nearly every color but true blue. Showy and fragrant but not winter-hardy outside zones 7-10: in colder gardens the corms are lifted and stored frost-free.
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: narrow (38/100)
Focal point
Border
Light
Full sun
Water
Moderate water
Mature size
18-72" tall · 6" apart
Hardy in zones
7a-10b
cold to mild winters
Summer heat range
Warm-Extreme
warm to extreme summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
No
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Won't grow here
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Well-suited
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
✕→✓
Out of range today, but newly possible by 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Gladiolus (Gladiolus (hybrid)). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/gladiolus
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited18 source-backed.
Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes
Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Backs 1 field
Image
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
University extension service
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
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