plant suggestions

Hi, I have some gladioli in the garden I woud like to replace.  Does anyone have any suggestions for a summer plant that has a bit of height to it ( not necessarily as tall as the gladioli )  I would like it to have a long flowering period and if it was hardy that would be an added bonus. 

There are far too many possibilities to list them all but if you want to stay in the warm gladioli colour range, look at crocosmias, hemerocallis, echinaceas, achilleas and euphorbias - all hardy.

How about some snapdragons? Can grow a couple of feet high if not even higher- and have a long flowering peroid with regular deadheading. Not fully hardy though

Lillies, they flower slightly earlier than gladioli, come in different heights, are hardy and can be left in the ground or in pots over winter and once the flowers have gone the foilage also stays greener for longer than gladioli.

Not to mention the ravages of the  ghastly lily beetle which can make them look so unsightly.

Thanks for the suggestions Obelixx.  As a bit of a novice, do I plant any of these by bulb?

Crocosmias grow from a corm which is bulb like but generally speaking all of them are perennials more usually sold in pots.    They're all available in good garden centres and general nurseries.  Just dunk the pots in a bucket or water till no more bubbles appear and then plant at teh same depthe as tehy were in the pot.  If the roots look congested and tight, loosen them with your fingers before planting as this encourages them to spread out in to the soil and seek nutrients.  Water well after planting. 

They can all be left in the ground over winter.  You just cut off the dead top growth next spring, feed with a  general fertiliser and they'll grow and flower in due course..

Thanks so much, fantastic information, really appreciate it.

My pleasure.  Good luck and happy planting.

Lillies are bulbs and there's nothing boring about them, a small cluster makes a nice addition to many gardens.