Gladiolus Communis

These vigorous perennials have linear leaves up to 24 inches long with spikes of up to 20 funnel-shaped, marked, deep magenta flowers which appear in spring. In the Mediterranean it is a wild flower in the olive groves through May and June and is naturalised in the South-West of England in Cornwall and the Scilly Isles where it is called Whistling Jack! It thrives in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.