Hi Melanie,

Both Freesia and Gladiolus are Perennials, however, that depends on where you live. In our part of Oklahoma, they would not survive the winter. If you wanted to keep them year after year, you would need to dig them up in the fall and store them over the winter, in a cool dark place, and then replant them in the spring. As for it being too late to plant right now..... Im not sure. Its sure been a weird spring, but i would think you could plant them now for summer flowers. Someone else may know more about that part of it.

Emma

Thank you Emma, I'm in Vian, which is close to ft Smith Arkansas. I am fine with having to dig them up and I did read where they are sensitive to the cold, one site said to cover the area with straw if I didn't want to dig them up.

Even if they didn't bloom till later in the summer that would be ok with me to lol.

The glads shud be fine in the ground, but I am not sure about freesias. Glads always come back for me and they sometimes are borderline invasive. They reproduce like crazy.

Susan

SInce you already bought them, you might as well plant them. They might do just fine.

Glads usually come back for me for 3 to 5 years, roughly until either an extra wet winter or spring rots them in our clay soil, or an extra-hot and dry summer gets them. Sometimes they do spread and invade a little, which makes me happy because the more of them there are, the better the chance some will survive, but I still know that the weather will get them sooner or later, and it always does.

The only issue I've ever run into with planting glads late is that sometimes it means they just start blooming at the same time that 100+ degree days arrive so the flowers kinda fry in the heat as soon as they open. If they are just starting to bloom in crazy heat, I just cut them for bouquets and bring them inside where they'll look better longer indoors than they would outdoors.

I've only grown freesias in containers as annuals.

There are lots of perennials that may work better as annuals in some climates. I suspect that's why the ones you bought were labeled as annuals. Sometimes it is a combination of temperatures and soil that turn a perennial into more of an annual in a specific location. For example, some perennials that need very well-drained soil will not survive a wet winter in poorly drained soil even though the weather itself doesn't get colder than the plants should be able to tolerate.

Dawn

MelDawn, I've never grown freesias but I've had gladiolas last for several years if well mulched year round. It is usually some rodent that gets mine. Gophers or voles or something tunnels under and eats them. I am not far from you up here in Adair Co.

Gladiolas will come back for a few years for me, but they seem to eventually die out. This year I finally decided I wanted some glads again. I love them in my bouquets. I bought two packages. One package is in the ground, the other one is waiting to be planted :) I need to get them in the ground soon, but you will have company with late planting!

Lisa

Mel- I am not too far either, just north of Wagoner. I planted some gladiolas about 2 weeks ago, right before all that rain and cold snap and they are coming wonderfully. I have planted them in May before and they have come up just fine. I personally think they are pretty hardy. Like Dawn said, you have them so you might as well plant them!

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful input. I have the perfect spot picked out for them. So after this rain and cold snap in the ground they go and we shall see what happens lol