August Birth Flowers: Gladiolus and Poppy

• The name comes from the Latin gladius, "sword", for its leaves; it is also called sword lily.
• In ancient Rome crowds covered winning gladiators with the flowers.
• It is the traditional flower for a 40th wedding anniversary.

Gladiolus comes as cut spikes in summer and as corms to plant in spring. Choose spikes with color showing on one to three of the lowest florets; the rest open in the vase from the bottom up. Keep stems upright, because spikes laid flat bend their tips upward within hours. Before arranging, cut about an inch above any white tissue at the stem base, which takes up water poorly.

Gladiolus corms go in after the last frost, in full sun; in cold areas, dig them up each fall.

Poppies are an occasional florist flower and are often grown from seed at home. Buy or cut them in bud, just as color shows. Their stems leak a milky sap that blocks water uptake, so the Royal Horticultural Society suggests dipping the bottom inch in water just off the boil for 20 to 30 seconds. A brief pass through a candle flame also seals the stem.

Sow poppy seed where it will grow, as poppies do not transplant well. They prefer cool summers and reseed themselves.

Gladiolus corms are the most toxic part of a plant the ASPCA lists as toxic to horses as well as dogs and cats; it can cause drooling, vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy.

Spinel, one of the three August birthstones, comes in red and pink, like a red poppy or a pink gladiolus. The August birthstone page covers peridot and sardonyx as well, and the Birthstone Finder the whole year. Write the exact age on the gift tag with help from the Age Calculator, then save the date to Google Calendar through the Birthday Calendar.