My leaning towards the desaturated regions of the colour wheel might explain why I’ve always considered gladioli a tad garish. Professor Google revealed that the genus Gladiolus is indeed a love-hate thing and confirmed how flowers are the stuff of symbolism. Did Dame Edna and Morrisey know that this bloom represents strength of character and faithfulness before adopting it as their own?
While pinks and purples leave me unmoved I will go some miles for a green flower (my favourite hue). So when a relative recently bemoaned the purchase of what had turned out to be green gladioli, I rescued them from scorn.
Sometimes colour takes the eye away. Watching the enormous flowers – labyrinths unfurling daily – had me reaching for the camera in an attempt to capture the forms.
