Gladiolus (plural Gladioli) commonly called Sword Lily comes from the Latin word gladius which means sword, referring to the shape of the leaves. Gladiolus comes from the bulb family and the bulbs are referred to as a corms. Gladioli are native to the Mediterranean areas and South Africa. If you could gather all the Gladioli from these areas your giant bouquet would include approximately 200-250 different species. However, most of the Gladioli we grow in our gardens are hybrids which have
