Over the past two centuries many South African irids such as gladioli, freesias, crocosmias, ixias and watsonias have been domesticated and are familiar garden plants. Some have been so improved by plant breeders that often it is not easy to associate modern garden hybrids with their humble wild ancestors in the veld.

In 1976, 1100 seeds collected in the wild were deposited at the Wakehurst Place Seed Bank (now the Millennium Seed Bank) in the United Kingdom, to determine whether cold storage of seed as a measure of long-term conservation was possible. This proved successful and tests carried out several years later at the seed bank showed a germination of 99% at 11ºC.

Gladiolus dalenii has been successfully cultivated at Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden for many years and is also being grown by several specialist bulb growers in several countries. Ideally its natural habitat should be formally protected, but,  should this not be possible, ex situ material could possibly be used to re-establish this species elsewhere, in suitable sites.