I love gladiolas.  I love their ladder-like flowers that are soft and delicate.  I find gladiolas to be regal and tall, stately, yet graceful.  I look forward to each higher blossom budding and opening, just as the lower blossoms are withering and falling off.  I love the deeper and interesting shades of this flower, gladiolas that come in deep orange,  scalloped red and midnight purple.

Gladiolas seem to be a flower from the past,  a flower that has lost its way for no good reason.  They are rarely admired anymore and are hard to find.  Their graceful silhouette no longer seems to be in fashion and I feel badly about that, sad for their disgrace.  I am always excited when I can find gladiolas for purchase at my local market.

My husband, Don, hates gladiolas.

Don associates gladiolas with funerals.  I’m not sure why.

There are no flowers at Jewish funerals.  Jewish law requires burial as soon as possible and that the body be buried with simple shrouds in a plain coffin with no special adornment.

But, Don insists that Gladiolas are funeral flowers.

Sorry, Don.  I still love Gladiolas.

And, this week, I found them at my market.  Each bunch was $1.99.  How could I resist?

 

SUPPLIES

sharp pruning shears

tall glass vase

 

DIRECTIONS

Trim gladiolas so that base of flowering blossoms begins just above the top of your vase.

Strip leaves from each gladiola, setting the leaves aside.

Fill vase with water and place gladiolas in vase, arranging them so that they branch out slightly from the top of the vase in each direction.  You may want to keep turning the vase to make sure that the gladiola arrangement looks good from all sides.

Add the gladiola leaves to the arrangement, making sure that they are evenly distributed within the arrangement and that the water level is reaching the base of each leaf.

Really, Don.  Aren’t these flowers gorgeous?

 

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