Gladiolus Italicus

Native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, these gorgeous plants open dazzling spring flowers resembling pink and magenta tongues of flame, each several centimeters long, with stamens and style protruding from the throat. The slender sword-shaped leaves appear before the flower spikes that often carry as many as 20 blooms on each stem. In a well-drained spot they will slowly spread and increase.