Gladiolus italicus

Another of the many hardy and showy gladiolus species that are under-utilized because gardeners tend to associate the genus with tender primadonna hybrids. The flowers are magenta banners spaced along 2-foot scapes in mid-spring. And the plants are anything but wimpy, wintering in much of the U.S., and often self-sowing freely in milder climes. Modified continental/Steppe/Mediterranean; SW Europe to C Asia. Zone 6.

Photo: Vahe Martirosyan, licensed under CC BY 2.0