A coupla questions - what depth did you plant and when. I had a mixed result with several species blooming well in early July, but later planted corms did not flower this year. Planting in shade is probably the most obvious reason for the stall - they absolutely need both warmth and light and really do not do well, even if shaded out by taller perennials/foliage. They don't especially enjoy being planted too close either - I like at least 4inches between corms (I suspect I stuffed mine in far too close and as summer wore on, they got more shaded by developing foliage). I would be having a look at the blind corms - see what is going on at the root sphere. Glads can be temperamental - they are not really the failsafe choice in pots, to be fair, so don't get too disheartened.

Thanks. I am crossing them off from my list, not again. Would it make sense to bring them in now and put under growlights?

I am planred the corms shallow to begin with and covered with a bit more soil as they grew. I suspect they are barely an inch or two below the surface and much closer.

I like to stick to the usual 'twice the depth of the bulb' rule and would have had them at least 3inches deep but I think almost certainly, in my case, I planted a second, non-flowering lot at the beginning of June when they didn't get anything like the same amount of sun. I am dithering whether it would be worth putting them under lights - I really don't think the flowers are going to open but it might help to build up energy for flowering next year. OTOH, bulbs, at least here in the UK, are not that costly so I would be poking around having a look under the soil...but only if I intended hanging onto the corms to see if I could get them flowering next year (and only if they were not easily commercially available).

Getgoing - I marvel at your balcony...but I would not waste valuable real estate on pots of gladioli - they bloom for a measly 2 weeks...compared to almost 6 weeks of lilies. Even planting out a heap of them, its best to do it successionally and not in a super prominent part of the garden, so yep, I might be tempted to just call it quits and tick them off the list.

HU007, I agree. The short blooming annuals and pernnials should have no space on my 15'x5' balcony. Yet, i continue to waste valuable real estate on duds like:

• tryIng to grow groundcherries for the second year now when i only got one flower and no fruit the first time around. I have them growing tall in two pots this year....

-growing a peony for seveeal years now, it gives me many stems and tiny buds but only a single bloom every other year, which last a week max, yet i have not been able to get rid of it and instead fot another one (bartzella)..

-the hf young clemtis in a 13 gallon pot rarely blooms for longer than 7-10 days, however spectacular it may be..

I do need to be more deliberate in my choices. One of these days...

Anyhow, the ide to move the gladiolus indoors is not to somehow revive the stalled spikes but perhaps coax the half dozen or so that have yet to spike to give me some results for the effort i put in. I think i up potted it 3/4 times to avoid rotting of the bulbs. Yet, i would not be surprised if rottkng corms stalled the spikes. One thing is for sure, they aren't getting planted in my balcony next year. The one spike of flowers is not worth the effort.

getgoing, will you always be living in a highrise? I hope you don't mind me asking, but with your interest in growing, and what you've done on a balcony, I can imagine what you could do with a bigger garden space!

And I'm always surprised that more people in the building across from you aren't inspired to do more with their balconies when they see your pretty plants and flowers.

Sandyslopes, it is not quite a high-rise in that it has only 4 floors. There are a few reasons why I don't see a better alternative. I am in the top corner unit of the building which overlooking a gold course and has unobstructed views of lower Manhattan including the freedom tower, Ellis island, the statue of liberty, the Hudson/upper New York bay, and Brooklyn bridge. I get this view from one of the bedrooms, the large living room and partly from the balcony (admitted not as much given all the obstruction my balcony garden creates. I don't think anything on ground can have the same view. Secondly, the limited space keeps my gardening obsession somewhat in check. I would be probably retiring and gardening full time if I had a bigger garden space. Well, at least those are my motivations.

From your photos I thought you were up very high! That sounds like a pretty sweet view! I can see that being desirable. Hmm, keeping a gardening obsession in check is a foreign way of thinking to me, lol. Kudos to you for all you get done on your balcony!

getgoing would you mind showing us some of those views? I'm relatively close to NYC and have always loved the Manhattan skyline, and think the Hudson is so majestic. Love the views from the Tappan Zee (well, I guess the Cuomo, now - it will always be the Tappan Zee to me lol) and from the south looking up north as well. Really quite beautiful. Lucky you to be able to look out your window and see all that AND your lovely garden too!

:)

Dee

Dee, Manhatten does have a beautiful skyline, especially vivid on the westside looking from Weehawken, the pallisaded, hobokrn and West new york. The skyline isn't that exciting for the downtown, not as many tall buildings. Here are some pics. The screens on the windows maje it hard to get a decent picture on zoom so you need to focus your eyes to see what is much bigger when seen in person.