Gladiolus 'Atom'

Gladiolus 'Atom'

A charming heirloom gladiolus in vibrant scarlet-red, each small floret finely rimmed in silvery-white. That picotee edging is the variety's signature, making every bloom stand out against the narrow, deep-green foliage. The florets are about half the size of a standard gladiolus and more widely spaced along the spike, giving 'Atom' a graceful, informal look quite unlike the dense spires of the large florist types. Flowers open from the base of each spike upwards, with two or three spikes per corm, on strong, upright stems to around 75-90cm.

Introduced in 1946, 'Atom' has remained a favourite for the best part of a century, and it's easy to see why. Shorter and sturdier than the tall grandiflora gladies, it holds itself upright with little fuss and slots neatly into a mixed border, a cottage garden, or a container. It's also one of the hardier gladioli, so in milder gardens the corms can be left in the ground to come back year after year rather than lifted each winter. And it's a wonderful cut flower, each spike lasting up to a fortnight in the vase. A brilliant splash of summer colour, and a true heirloom worth keeping in cultivation.

• Summer flowering
• Small scarlet-red florets with a silvery-white picotee edge
• Strong, upright stems, shorter than standard glads
• One of the hardier gladioli
• Excellent cut flower
• Heirloom, introduced 1946
• Height: 75-90cm