Gladiolus - Stalks of Blooms   At Home   Florists can create "glamellias", composite flowers made from individual gladioli florets. When assembled, these composites resemble a large camellia, thus the name. Know for their sturdy stems – the gladioli is most enjoyed when massed in a tall glass vase. 10-20 stems make an ideal look, depending on the vase’s size. For a delightful summer dessert garnish, use an open gladioli floret to present a scoop of sherbet. (Wash the blossom gently with water and remove stem before using. The flower is not edible.) Gladioli today come in many wonderful colors. Especially "in" today are chartreuse and fuchsia gladioli. The spike-like nature of the flowers lend themselves to being wonderful presentation bouquets. Tie the stems together with a festive ribbon. Just two or three stems of Gladioli placed at strategic angles in a series of vases can make a sophisticated silhouette for a modern room’s mantel.       Flower Care   To keep the stalks straight and tall, remove the topmost 2 or 3 buds when you trim the stems before placing them in water. Remove the lower buds as they fade to encourage the higher flowers to open. The end-user life span of the stems is 1-2 weeks. Replace water in the vase every 3-4 days to avoid stem clogging.