The gladiolus’s strength

Your heart’s conquered with a single thrust

Apart from beauty, the gladiolus also represents strength, pride, victory and admiration. That’s quite something and on top of that it’s also the flower of love, symbolising love at first sight. The pointy leaves are said to pierce a heart with a single thrust. In reality you can only steal or conquer a heart with a sizeable bunch of . At funerals the flower also means ‘we will miss you’.

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Handy cures

The flower, which originates from Africa, was used in the past for food and as an emollient. Roasted gladiolus bulbs had a chestnut-like flavour and dried and ground bulbs were mixed with goat’s milk: a couple of sips of this cured stomach cramps. This mixture was also rubbed straight onto splinters as a salve. 

Gladiool Mooiwatbloemendoen Bloemenagenda De kracht van de gladiool

To the death or the gladioli

In Roman times, gladiatorial combat was a public entertainment. It was their equivalent of watching TV. Two swordsmen fought until one was killed and the winner was showered with gladioli; it was all or nothing. In some countries the gladiolus still symbolises victory.