Dear All, I have added some pictures to the wiki of some new Southern African Gladiolus that have bloomed for me this month. I've been growing Gladiolus ecklonii for a couple of years, but never got a photograph I liked. The seed came from Rhoda and Cameron McMaster. I started it spring 2002 and it bloomed for the first time summer-fall 2003. It's a summer rainfall Gladiolus that is dormant in winter. I'd call it striking instead of beautiful although I kind of like the leaves that have nice margins so I included a picture that isn't entirely in focus so you could see the leaves. The flower is described as white, but it has so many dots (described in Gladiolus in Southern Africa as pink, red or purple) that you'd never guess. I think it looks brown from a distance, but perhaps the dots really are dark red. After our recent discussion I'm reluctant to hang a name on the color. When Jim Robinett gave me part of his collection when he could not longer care for it, there were one Gladiolus oppositiflorus corm. This species too is a summer rainfall species and I planted it in the ground in a bed that gets watered weekly in summer, but has redwoods so the soil is always dry. I didn't expect it to survive so I didn't mark it and had forgotten about it. A few weeks ago I looked out my window wondering what the salmon flower was in bloom and after I keyed it out I looked on my data base and figured it out. I had noted I didn't know if it was still alive. It's very pretty so I hope it returns. Finally in my raised bed octagon blooming for the first time also from Jim Robinett is Gladiolus brevifolius. I've tried it three times from seed (three different sources) and never had any luck. He sowed these the tag said in January 1997 so it was a long time before it bloomed. This is another one of those winter rainfall species that blooms in the fall first before the leaves appear. The flowers are very small but nicely marked. I found it impossible to get a picture of it in focus until I put something behind it. One of those pictures I took upside down and then turned it around as that was the only way I could hold something behind it and the camera at the same time. Today I held a piece of plastic behind it and Bob took the picture. http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/… Mary Sue