Here is a video of the engine. There are marks on the ball to make it's rotation easier to see. You will notice that at the start I hold the ping-pong ball in my hand very briefly so the liquid nitrogen will boil and start the rotation quickly.
They can be planted in the spring around your last frost date. Gladioli bloom about 90 days (three months) after they sprout in spring, so the bloom time really depends on when you plant them. In warm climates, where they stay in the ground year-round, gladioli bloom anytime from late spring (deep South) to midsummer (middle South).
Most of these cultivated gladioli reach heights of from three to four feet. Their blossoms grow usually in a double row on one side of the stalk. They appear in white and shades of yellow, lavender, smoky gray, maroon, red purple, and in a range of red, rose, and pink hues. Gladiolus are generally raised from bulbs, which should be planted about three to five inches apart and five inches deep in rows at least one foot apart, or in garden beds, as tulips are planted.