Bulbs
Photo by : KevinCupp / Shutterstock
Freesias have long been a lynchpin in florist store because of their uplift perfume , long vase life , and enticing array of jewel - intone colors . But why not grow them in your own home and enjoy their sweet perfume and delicate flowered looker for months on last ? These welcome winter fuckup are easy to thrust indoors as inexpensive , longer - go alternatives to cut flush . In addition to being gorgeous houseplants , freesias will also thrive outdoors in garden beds or container with properly timed planting .
On this pageboy : Basics|Forcing Indoors|Planting in the Garden|Cut Flowers|Freesia Pictures|Buying baksheesh
BASICS
Botanical name:
Freesiaspp .
Plant type & origin:
Frost - tender perennial that grow from corm . aboriginal to South Africa .
Zones:
9 to 10
When to plant:
For growing indoors , implant any metre from mid - August to late October for flower from January through April . In the garden , plant out of doors in spring for summer flowers or in fall ( in freeze - free climates only ) for give blooms . In colder develop zone , go indoors in later winter and then move them outside in spring , display them right alongside yourhyacinths , tulips , anddaffodils .
Flowering period:
Freesias normally produce flowers 10 to 12 calendar week after planting . Once they begin to bloom , they ’ll quell in flower for six week or tenacious . As with orchid , the blooms open sequentially along the stem , rewarding you with new flowers even as older flower disappearance .
Height:
12 to 24 inch
Flower colors & characteristics:
Freesias ’ trumpet - shaped heyday open on just one side of their slender , arch stem , with the blooms always face upwardly for better view . Each stem may bear as many as 12 flowers . Numerous hybrids are available in a rainbow of colors include ashen , yellow , orangish , scarlet , pink , royal blue , lavender , and various bicolors . you could also take from single or entire , double - petaled blooms
HOW TO FORCE INDOORS
Planting:
Fill a tall pot ( one with fair to middling drainage holes ) half - full with a well - draining potting commixture . engraft the corms 1 to 2 in cryptic with their spud tips pointing upward . you may usually fit six to eight corm in a 6 - inch skunk . supply more soil to barely breed the corms , and mildly solicit it down . Learn bulb indoors .
Soil:
Average potting soil lick fine , but the plus of vermiculite or moxie will help to improve drainage and prevent soggy soil .
Lighting/temperature:
When the top development is 1 to 2 inches gamy , move your pot to a cheery location with cool temperatures ( below 70 ° F ) . Freesias grow best in a chilly atm . Conditions that are too warm can inhibit blooming .
Watering:
Water well after planting , and then provide just enough water to maintain even moisture .
Fertilizer:
When the first buds start out to appear , start fertilizing every two calendar week with a water - soluble flora food .
Staking:
One of the drawbacks is the long , slender foliage , which tends to fall through over unless fend for . To keep it vertical , insert a magniloquent bamboo spliff orwire ring supportnext to each corm when you plant it . When the foliage becomes untidy , loosely attach it to the support with string or floral conducting wire . you could tie the flowering stems , too , or let them dangle gracefully .
Aftercare:
Most freesia industrial plant are discarded after flowering because the corms are so inexpensive , often cost less than 50 cent each . But if you desire to save the corms and advance them to rebloom , let the foliage die back after the flowers have fade and reduce watering . After about six to eight weeks , remove the corms from their stool , allow them to dry out exhaustively , and then store them in a paper grip in a nerveless localization ( around 40 ° to 50 ° F ) until you ’re quick to replant them in late summertime or fall .
PLANTING IN THE GARDEN
Exposure:
Full sunshine
Well - drain , fertile soil enrich with plenty of organic thing .
Planting depth and spacing:
Plant about 1 to 2 inches deep with the pointed last facing up . For an centre - catching flowered display , plant in group of at least six corms and space them 2 to 3 inches asunder . As when planting corm in pot , lend stakes to support the flower - laden stems .
Keep the grease evenly moist during the grow season , specially during dry spells . Freesia corms can rot in soaked , saturated soil so allow the soil to dry a bit between watering .
Winter care:
In colder climate , dig up the corms from garden beds in the fall , before the first frost , and store them in a cool , juiceless place where they can remain dormant for a lower limit of four months before being replanted again in spring ; or consider plant your freesias in containers that you could bring indoors for wintertime storage . Although you’re able to lay in corms in their pots , they must be repotted before they are brought into bloom again .
USING AS CUT FLOWERS
Photo by : New Africa / Shutterstock
freesia are a must for thecutting gardenso you’re able to love 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 leg , when the first flowers are just start to show colouring . snub the flowers will not hurt your works , but if you want the corms to replenish their muscularity for the next growing time of year , be sure to leave the foliage entire .
To extend the life of your cut freesias , trimthe stems at a 45 - point angle so they do n’t sit flat in the vase and can take in more urine . Also keep the vase in a nerveless post away from direct sunshine . Every few days , recut the stems and change the water . impart packets of trimmed flower food will also keep your blooms fresh longer .
acquire about other greatflowers to grow for garden bouquets .
FREESIA PICTURES
exposure by : Beverly Buckley / Pixabay
Freesia alba
An heirloom motley with creamy white blossoms sometimes tinged with yellow or purpleness . Often considered to be the most fragrant .
Photo by : Tim Wright / Alamy Stock Photo
Freesia‘Oberon ’
A sensational bicolor with red petals , lemon - yellow throats , and pronounced red veining .
picture by : ftanuki / Pixabay
Freesiasingle bicolor
Large cherry - orange blossom with bright jaundiced throats and showy lavender stamens . Also usable in a double - blossom configuration .
Photo by : manfredrichter / Pixabay
Freesiasingle blue
A delicate combination of lavender - blue and livid petal with royal veining and lustrous yellow center .
exposure by : oudy / Shutterstock
Freesiadouble white
A creamy white twice - petaled freesia with golden throat . Exceptionally fragrant .
BUYING TIPS
A few thing to keep in judgment when shopping for freesias :
