Bulbs
photograph by : KevinCupp / Shutterstock
Freesias have long been a mainstay in florist shops because of their intoxicating scent , retentive vase living , and enticing raiment of gem - intone color . But why not acquire them in your own house and enjoy their sweet scent and delicate floral beauty for months on end ? These welcome wintertime flub are easy to ram indoors as inexpensive , longer - lasting choice to cut flowers . In gain to being gorgeous houseplant , freesias will also fly high out of doors in garden seam or container with properly time planting .
On this page : Basics|Forcing Indoors|Planting in the Garden|Cut Flowers|Freesia Pictures|Buying Tips
BASICS
Botanical name:
Freesiaspp .
Plant type & origin:
rime - tender perennial that develop from corms . Native to South Africa .
Zones:
9 to 10
When to plant:
For growing indoors , engraft any fourth dimension from mid - August to late October for flowers from January through April . In the garden , plant outdoors in spring for summer flowers or in fall ( in Robert Frost - free climate only ) for fountain bloom . In colder grow zones , start indoors in late winter and then move them outside in spring , displaying them right alongside yourhyacinths , tulips , anddaffodils .
Flowering period:
freesia normally produce flowers 10 to 12 calendar week after imbed . Once they begin to bloom , they ’ll outride in blossom for six calendar week or longer . As with orchidaceous plant , the blooms open consecutive along the stem , rewarding you with novel flowers even as aged flowers fade .
Height:
12 to 24 inches
Flower colors & characteristics:
Freesias ’ trumpet - shape peak open on just one side of their slender , arching stems , with the blooms always facing upward for substantially catch . Each stem may bear as many as 12 heyday . Numerous cross are available in a rainbow of colour including white , yellow , orangish , cherry-red , pink , imperial blue , lavender , and various bicolors . you’re able to also opt from undivided or fuller , double - petaled blooms
HOW TO FORCE INDOORS
Planting:
fill up a marvellous weed ( one with adequate drain holes ) half - full with a well - drain potting commixture . Plant the corms 1 to 2 inches inscrutable with their sprouting tip pointing upward . you could usually fit six to eight corms in a 6 - inch pot . tote up more dirt to barely cover the corms , and gently tap it down . larn light bulb indoors .
Soil:
Average potting soil works fine , but the increase of vermiculite or sand will serve to meliorate drain and prevent soggy soil .
Lighting/temperature:
When the top ontogenesis is 1 to 2 inch eminent , move your pot to a sunny localisation with cool temperature ( below 70 ° F ) . Freesias grow best in a parky atmosphere . Conditions that are too warm can inhibit flower .
Watering:
piddle well after set , and then provide just enough water supply to assert even moisture .
Fertilizer:
When the first buds get down to appear , pop out fertilizing every two weeks with a H2O - soluble industrial plant solid food .
Staking:
One of the drawbacks is the long , lithe foliage , which tends to fall flat over unless supported . To keep it upright , insert a grandiloquent bamboo pin orwire anchor ring supportnext to each corm when you imbed it . When the foliage becomes untidy , broadly speaking attach it to the sustenance with strand or floral wire . you’re able to tie the flowering stems , too , or let them dangle graciously .
Aftercare:
Most freesia plants are dispose after flowering because the corms are so inexpensive , often costing less than 50 cents each . But if you want to save the corm and further them to rebloom , let the leaf snuff it back after the flowers have pass off and reduce watering . After about six to eight weeks , take away the corms from their heap , permit them to dry thoroughly , and then store them in a paper bag in a cool location ( around 40 ° to 50 ° F ) until you ’re quick to replant them in late summertime or fall .
PLANTING IN THE GARDEN
Exposure:
Full sun
Well - drain , fertile stain enrich with mass of organic topic .
Planting depth and spacing:
constitute about 1 to 2 inches deep with the pointed close face up . For an middle - catching flowered display , plant life in grouping of at least six corm and space them 2 to 3 in aside . As when planting corm in pot , add stakes to endure the flower - laden stem .
Keep the ground evenly moist during the growing season , especially during ironical trance . Freesia corm can rot in smashed , concentrated filth so appropriate the soil to dry out a moment between lacrimation .
Winter care:
In colder climates , turn over up the corms from garden beds in the fall , before the first frost , and hive away them in a coolheaded , dry space where they can remain dormant for a minimum of four months before being replant again in bounce ; or consider planting your freesia in container that you may bring in indoors for winter storehouse . Although you may hive away corms in their pots , they must be repotted before they are brought into bloom again .
USING AS CUT FLOWERS
Photo by : New Africa / Shutterstock
Freesias are a must for thecutting gardenso you could enjoy their rash fragrance in spring and summer bouquets . They can last as long as three weeks in a vase if cut in the closed - bud stage , when the first flowers are just start to show color . rationalize the flower will not hurt your plants , but if you desire the corms to replenish their energy for the next produce season , be certain to allow for the foliage intact .
To reach out the life sentence of your cut freesia , trimthe stems at a 45 - degree angle so they do n’t sit flat in the vase and can absorb more water . Also keep the vase in a cool place away from direct sunshine . Every few sidereal day , recut the stems and change the piss . Adding packets of cut flower food will also keep your bloom newly longer .
check about other greatflowers to grow for garden bouquets .
FREESIA PICTURES
Photo by : Beverly Buckley / Pixabay
Freesia alba
An heirloom mixed bag with creamy white blossoms sometimes tinged with chicken or purple . Often considered to be the most fragrant .
Photo by : Tim Wright / Alamy Stock Photo
Freesia‘Oberon ’
A arresting bicolor with red flower petal , lemon - scandalmongering throats , and pronounced red veining .
Photo by : ftanuki / Pixabay
Freesiasingle bicolor
big ruby - orange tree heyday with bright yellow throats and showy lavender stamen . Also available in a forked - flowering build .
Photo by : manfredrichter / Pixabay
Freesiasingle blue
A delicate combination of lavender - naughty and whitened flower petal with purplish veining and lustrous chicken centers .
pic by : oudy / Shutterstock
Freesiadouble lily-white
A creamy white doubly - petaled freesia with favorable throat . Exceptionally fragrant .
BUYING TIPS
A few thing to keep in mind when frequent for freesias :
