They will flower when they attain the appropriate size. Gladiolas must be dug and stored at non-freezing temperatures through the winter. A tunicate bulb consists of a basal plate or stem from which modified fleshy leaves develop. Leaves are attached to the basal plate at nodes and spaces between nodes are called internodes. The presence of nodes and internodes means that the bulb is actually a modified stem.
Bulbs reproduce themselves asexually by forming offsets from axillary buds.
Offsets can be separated from the mother bulb and grown on until they are large enough to flower. The outer fleshy leaf dries to form a papery tunic which helps protect the bulb from dehydration. The flower has already formed within the bulb, but will not grow upward until it has a winter period to break its dormancy and initiate stem elongation. Roots appear soon after planting the bulb. Daffodils form offsets readily.