Add bold summer color to your garden with Gladiolus 'Oscar', one of the most popular red gladiolus varieties available. This classic Sword Lily produces towering flower spikes covered in large, vibrant scarlet-red blooms that create an eye-catching display in borders, cutting gardens, and landscape plantings.

Blooming from mid to late summer, 'Oscar' delivers exceptional performance with strong stems, long-lasting flowers, and brilliant color that stands out from across the garden. Its dramatic blooms are highly valued by florists and gardeners alike for fresh-cut arrangements and summer bouquets.

Easy to grow and highly rewarding, this stunning gladiolus attracts butterflies and pollinators while providing weeks of spectacular color.

Key Features

• Brilliant scarlet-red blooms
• Tall flower spikes for dramatic garden height
• Outstanding cut flower with excellent vase life
• Attracts butterflies and beneficial pollinators
• Thrives in full sun
• Easy-to-grow summer flowering bulb
• Perfect for bouquets and floral arrangements
• Produces multiple blooms per stem

Plant Details

• Botanical Name: Gladiolus 'Oscar'
• Common Name: Red Sword Lily
• Plant Type: Perennial Bulb (Corm)
• Flower Color: Bright Scarlet Red
• Foliage Color: Green
• Mature Height: 48–60 Inches
• Spread: 6–12 Inches
• Growth Habit: Upright Clumping
• Bloom Season: Mid to Late Summer
• Light Requirements: Full Sun
• Water Needs: Average
• Soil Requirements: Well-Drained Soil
• Hardiness Zones: 7–10 (Lift corms in colder zones)
• Characteristics: Pollinator Friendly, Excellent Cut Flower, Deer Resistant, Long Blooming

Garden Uses

Cut flower gardens
Cottage gardens
Pollinator gardens
Mixed perennial borders
Mass plantings
Summer color displays
Floral design gardens
Back-of-border focal points

Companion Plants

Pair 'Oscar' with these garden favorites for a stunning summer display:

• White Prosperity Gladiolus
• Shasta Daisy
• Salvia
• Echinacea
• Rudbeckia
• Lavender
• Coreopsis
• Ornamental Grasses

The bright red blooms create striking combinations with white, yellow, blue, and purple flowering companions.

Planting & Care

• Plant corms in spring after danger of frost has passed
• Place corms 4–6 inches deep and 4–6 inches apart
• Choose a location with full sun
• Water thoroughly after planting
• Maintain even moisture during active growth
• Stake taller stems if planted in exposed locations
• Deadhead spent blooms to keep plants looking tidy
• Allow foliage to mature naturally after flowering

For continuous blooms throughout summer, plant additional corms every 2 weeks until early summer.

Shipping Information

Plant Condition

• Ships as healthy bareroot corms ready for planting

Shipping Notes

• Orders begin shipping in MARCH
• Carefully packaged for secure delivery
• Free USPS Ground shipping on qualifying orders over $35
• Shipping may be delayed during extreme weather conditions

Care Guarantee

We guarantee healthy bulbs upon arrival. If your order arrives damaged, contact us within 48 hours with photos of the plant and packaging for a replacement or refund.