PERENNIALS > FREESIA
IN THIS GUIDE
FREESIA GUIDES
variety
Out of Africa via the prudish Era , Freesia , a cormose perennial , unite a fulsome appearance with processed elegance .
debate that each flower husk is top - heavy with eight trumpet - shaped flowers but each bloom is the embodiment of graceful refinement .
F. laxa
Moreover , the flowers are gently sweet-scented or intensely fragrant .
As for the color , you get it all from coolheaded blue to fiery oranges , plus Elwyn Brooks White and bi - colours .
Overview
PreferredFull Sun
ExposureSheltered
Height0.1 – 0.5 M
Spread0 – 0.1 grand
Bloom TimeJune – August
PreferredChalk , loam , George Sand
MoistureWell - drained
pHAlkaline / Neutral
Freesia is a genus in the Iris family of flowering plant but in common usage , the Word of God Freesia pertain to hybrid - cultivar condescend from speciesF. refracta , F. leichtlinii , F. armstrongii , andF. laxa .
F. laxa
The term Freesia is loosely defined because a little too often cultivars of other genera in the Iris Family also get chunk with Freesias .
One way or another , all species and cultivars are deciduous perennials that grow from corm that are sometimes ( inaccurately ) called bulbs .
They blossom in spring and summertime .
freesia are frost - tender works and can not be maturate outdoors as soft - grow perennials in most of the United Kingdom .
If you live along the south - western and southern sea-coast of the UK you are in luck .
But even if you do n’t , with some effort you could still grow this hit from the straightlaced Age and a hot favored heyday to this day .
A major reason that Freesias are so admired is their delicious scent , for which these heyday are renowned .
And belie their delicate appearance , tailor Freesia flower have vitality to dispense with – they will last a week to ten days in a vase .
Another plus pointedness is that for beautiful flowering plants they are relatively pest - resistant and disease - devoid .
‘Oberon’
“ When I was a Head Gardener of a large property with over 100 room , we had a small commercial-grade nursery full of Freesia to render the home with cut flowers , ” deal Master Horticulturist Dan Ori .
“ Although I love the flower , I hat acquire them at that weighing machine due to the unvarying struggle with aphid .
“ In the end , we did have to reduce the number of plants and draft in some Coccinellidae ( ladybird beetle ) to help oneself control the aphid number . ”
You may have heard that Freesias are not easy to grow and we can not debate that percentage point .
But , on the other hand , their virtues are so olympian that you may be well apprise to give them a go !
Habitat & Growing Conditions
Many Freesia species are native to the Western Cape in South Africa ; they originate in nature in dry regions that get wintertime rainfall.1Freesia . ( n.d . ) . Kew Royal Botanic Gardens . Retrieved March 16 , 2023 , fromhttps://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:331198-2
Their habitats include arenaceous and gravelly basis , sand dune and scrubland , and the edges of forests .
The corm regenerate in February and March , which is Autumn in South Africa , and they put up flowers in the winter months of July and August .
temperature of 8 - 10 ° C are the most amenable to flowering .
Despite their preference for cool temperatures , Freesias are not hardy ; their hardiness rating is only H2 and H3 , depending on the mixture .
Where To Grow Freesia
Freesias are classic cottage garden plants . And , in all Sojourner Truth , they are brilliant for area estates and manors .
These plants make excellent bedding plants , either in the pattern of a Freesia commixture or as companion plants .
Freesias andPrimula Primroses , and Freesias with crocus , are splendid combination that will raise the cottage garden or country garden upshot .
Babiana stricta– a ‘non-Freesia’ Freesia
Freesias would be well set off grownagainst a backdrop of Phlox .
Though Freesia varieties are not commonly conceive accent plants , they can sure as shooting be grow as houseplants in a well - ventilate spot that amaze several hours of sunlight .
A wad or two of these adorable flowers will for certain light up – and also ‘ scent up ’ – any room as they will a balcony or patio .
How To Grow Freesia
Freesias are imbed as corms but can also be grow from seeds .
Germination from seed is not square , and it takes anywhere from one to four month .
Seed - grown plants focus their Energy on develop their corms and do not blossom for the first few years .
In the UK , Freesias should be grown in full Lord’s Day , or in full morning sun and dappled or filtered good afternoon sun .
A at large and fertile sand - based grunge without the Great Compromiser , better with constitutional compost or humous will be unadulterated for Freesias .
Incorporate crushed rock or perlite as necessary to ensure excellent drain which is a must for these plant .
Two kinds of Freesia corm are available , prepared and unprepared .
The former character are high temperature treated so that planting them in April will acquire flower for a foresighted summertime florescence time of year from July through August .
Thereafter they will return to grow flowers in spring .
Unprepared corm can be implant in September in containers or outdoors in only the very mild region of the United Kingdom to see blooms from April .
In cold region of the country they can be plant out of doors after the last frost .
As a worldwide rule , Freesia corms will bring out flowers 12 - 14 weeks after planting .
implant the corms with the pointed bakshis upwardly in easy soil that is not thickly pack .
The tips should be veracious at the aerofoil of the land which means that the corm , reckon on sizing , would be planted at a profoundness of 4 - 6 cm .
They should be space at 6 - 8 cm .
Plant Care
Water well after planting – keep the land systematically moist in the former growing degree .
Soil should neither get waterlogged nor allowed to dry out . After the plant place up leaves , water it sporadically .
Cease watering it after the flowering time of year is over and when the foliage has wilted and browned .
“ If grown in wad , I advocate growing them in a gratuitous - draining potting commixture , giving them a really good drench and not set aside them to sit around in water for too long , ” pronounce Dan .
“ Constant lightness watering may accentuate the plant and boost aphid . ”
freesia are very temperature raw .
For the works to bloom profusely and produce healthy flower , the temperature over a 24 - hour point needs to be between 8 - 20 ° light speed with nighttime temperatures to stay between 8 - 13 ° C .
Though the flower stalks have a elegant flex , the truth is that all too often ( the stalks of ) the newer change with three-fold heyday or larger flowers can not support a full head of flowers .
deliberate utilising canes or grow - through supports to keep flower stalk from getting bent and bow .
Feed the plants with a 10 - 10 - 10 liquid fertiliser just when the corms send up stems .
Fertilise once again just when the first buds forge with a high - potassium liquid plant food .
It is necessary to dilute both as appropriate .
Freesias grow in containers can be overwintered indoors ; though their foliage will have pour forth , the dormant corms will be protect from icing .
If you remove corm to bring them indoors before wintertime , cut stems and stalks down to 2 - 3 cm .
Place the corms in a cool , dark space so that they can dry out , then pack them lightly in sand or peat moss , put them in a mesh bag , and hive away in a cool ( but not cold ) and dry room .
Before planting the corm back outside after the last frost they will have to be heat - address , howsoever amateurishly .
For at least two month before re - planting the corms will require to be observe at a temperature of about 30 ° ascorbic acid .
Keeping them on a sunny windowsill is a simple clip - respect technique that usually does the conjuring trick .
If you store your corms , about every four years you should separate the offsets , to be used as new corm .
If you wish to cut these flowers , cut the efflorescence stalk of an inflorescence or a clump when only one of the buds has bloomed and the eternal sleep are still half - open or are still buds .
They will spread up in a vase over a few days – you may sustain vase life by exchange the water day by day and by cutting the stems at an angle .
Cut the flowers in the morning time , preferably early to mid - good morning , to further exsert vase living .
worn-out flowers should be cut for decorative reasons but not the foliage , even after it yellows .
The leave of absence keep producing energy to be stash away in the corm .
Cut the foliage only after it has browned and died .
Common Problems
Again belie their delicate appearing , Freesias are comparatively pesterer - costless and disease - costless flowering plant .
The only pest that they are susceptible to is aphid .
Other than that they may stomach from glasshouse red spider mite under crank or indoors .
Some varieties may occasionally yield to fusarium wilt .
aphid are treated by washing them off and applying organic products like BotaniGard ES or Safer ’s soap .
ladybird will facilitate against both aphids and red spider mite .
As a first step to press red wanderer mite , try a neem petroleum and soap solution in soft water , and spray it on the intact plant , both to dampen away the pests and to ensure they can not return .
For a heavy localize plague disregard off the affected parts and dispose of them .
