Gladiolus

I'm not really a fan of the common Gladiolus that bloom in summer. The colors are gorgeous. But they end up in people's yards just one here and one there and look funny to me. I think they look better in groups.

So here is an unusual one called Gladiolus tristis 'Starfish'. I bought the bulbs at a talk at The Huntington last Autumn. The speaker was from marysgardenpatch.com in San Diego. And you can order bulbs from her website.    G. tristis blooms earlier than regular Glads, are smaller(no stakes needed) and grow under 2'. It's another plant from South Africa, where all the cool plants originate. I planted a bunch together and they kinda look like my bouquet. I think I'll divide them when they die back to get more clumps.