Very rarely do you see any flowers from plants sown in the same year, four, five at most.
It's in their second year that the majority will flower, they will be given a third year to check for other attributes, like self propagation, hardiness and sometimes they even grow taller.
But in 2020 I exceeded the amount of crosses I usually make and subsequently now have rows and rows of Gladioli all ready to surprise and disappoint me.
This year I have borrowed some land nearby in Calbourne, as I had so many and I need to give my soil a rest for a couple of years. They are all planted in raised beds with each respected cross labelled and planted in rows. I'll spray for thrips when they have their fourth leaf and that's all the attention they'll get now, roll on the flower spikes.