"Freesia"

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About Freesias

The Freesia belongs to the Iris family, Iridaceae. The botanical name is Freesia, pronounced 'frees-ya'. Freesias grow from perennial corms, which produce fans of small, iris-like, sword-shaped leaves from 12 to 18 inches (30-45 cm) tall. In spring, long, thin stalks grow up and bear clusters of dainty, extremely fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers.

The Freesia bears curved, one-sided spikes of 8 to 12 funnel-shaped flowers on thin stems 12-24 inches (30-60 cm) long. The elegant blooms are 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) in length and highly fragrant. Freesia flowers have a fragile, delicate beauty, and come in many colors - white, yellow, gold, orange, pink, red, lavender, mauve, and violet. Some varieties have flowers veined or feathered with two colors. Doubles are also available.

All varieties are fragrant, however, some varieties are more fragrant than others. The pink and red varieties are the most highly scented. The Freesia releases more of its delightful fragrance as the air gets warmer, and the scent is released in sudden bursts every so often rather than continually.

Freesia are native to mountainous areas of South Africa. The Freesia was named after Dr Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese (a German physician) in the 19th century by his friend Ecklon. The genus Freesia was officially described by Klatt in 1866.

Although grown commercially since 1873, it was not until about 1950 that Freesias became fashionable. Nowadays Freesia are among the most popular and widely grown cut flowers in the world. Freesias are now grown commercially in Europe, California, Canada, South-America, Asia and Oceania.

Available all year round, but their peak period is from winter to spring. The best time to buy Freesias is when one flower on the stem is open and one or two buds are showing color.

What to Do When You Receive Your Freesia Flowers

1. Unpack your flowers straightaway.

2. Use a clean vase. Fill it with clean, lukewarm water and add a floral preservative solution, following the instructions provided. This will promote full opening of your flowers and keep the water clean and free of bacteria. It is best to use non-floridated water to prevent any necrosis (browning) on the edges of the petals.

3. Cut off about 1 inch (2.5cm) from the bottom of your flower stems, preferably under water, at an angle so that the flower stems do not rest flat on the bottom of the vase.

By doing this you help your Freesia flowers to maintain water uptake. Air bubbles and debris tends to collect in the bases of the stems and ,if this is not removed, water flow in the stems is greatly restricted. The cut should be at an angle and not flat across. You do not want your flower stems resting flat on the bottom of your vase since this will also restrict water uptake.

4. Arrange your flowers in the vase so that they are attractively displayed.

5. Keep your Freesias in a cool place and out of direct sunlight. Avoid drafts. They do not like very hot or cold areas. In a hot place in the direct sun Freesia flowers will not last very long.

6. Keep your flowers away from fruit, vegetables, and dying flowers as Freesias are very sensitive to the ethylene gas produced by these. Other sources of ethylene gas are gasoline, firewood, and tobacco. So keep these away from your flowers. Ethylene stops the buds developing.

Caring For Your Freesia Flowers

1. Check the water level frequently and top up the vase with lukewarm water. Ensure they have plenty of water and never let the stem ends dry out. Your Freesias do not like being out of water. Change the water every 3-4 days.

2. Regularly remove damaged or dying flowers and foliage. Pinch out the smaller, highest buds, and remove old flowerheads to persuade the unopened buds to bloom.

3. It is a good idea to remove your flowers from the vase and cut off about 1 inch (2.5cm) from the bottom of the flower stems every 4-5 days. This will maintain good water uptake.

Flower Life

If you give your Freesia care, it should last 7-10 days .

Temperature Requirements for Flowering

For the corm to root well and start growing after planting, Freesias ideally prefer 1-2 weeks of temperatures at about 65 deg F (19 deg C).

Then Freesias need soil temperatures below 65 deg F (19 deg C) for the following 6 to 8 weeks to form a flower bud. The optimal temperature is from 57-63 deg F (14-18 deg C); with a minimum of 45 deg F (8 deg C). During sunny periods in spring and autumn, light shading may be needed to keep temperatures sufficiently low.

After this 6-8 week, cool period keep an average of 65 deg F (19 deg C) day and night. If day temperatures rise to 70 deg F (21 deg C), night temperatures must then be low enough so that the overall average comes to 65 deg F (19 deg C).

Growing Freesias in Pots in the Fall

To have a succession of Freesias in bloom from January to March, you need to start planting up the pots in late August or early September, and at weekly intervals thereafter through to November.

Freesias grow well in a soil mixture of equal part loam, peat moss and sand, or any standard potting medium that is rich in organic matter, but slightly sandy. Good drainage is essential to prevent the bulb rotting. Use 6-8 corms in a 6-8 inch (15-20 cm) pot, space them out with the tips pointing upwards, and cover with 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) of soil mixture. Firm the soil over them. Water thoroughly and place in a cool, shady area for your corms to develop a good root system.

If your pots start to dry out give a little more water. But don't over-water. You need to water sparingly until growth commences. Growth appears after about 2 weeks. They can then be placed outdoors in full sun. Actively growing plants should be allowed to dry slightly between watering.

When the shoots are 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) high, provide support for the slender stems with 24 inch (60 cm) long canes (several per pot),or twigs. Loosely tie in the shoots. Or, you can wind twine round the canes to support the foliage, which reaches about 24 inches (60 cm) high. The canes promote upright growth and a tidier display of flowers.

Take your pots into a greenhouse (ideally), or indoors, well before the first frost. Indoors they need a cool, well-lit area. Try to provide cool, night-time temperatures of 45-55 deg F (8-13 deg C) while the foliage and flowers are developing. In the daytime it can be 60-70 deg F (15-21 deg C). High temperatures or low light intensity will cause plants to become leggy and bloom poorly, or not at all. Every 2 weeks feed with a standard liquid fertilizer (10-30-20). Provide good air circulation to insure healthy growth. Keep the foliage as dry as possible to avoid disease. Your Freesia requires high light intensity, with slight shade in a greenhouse.

In late January buds develop and you will be rewarded with some beautiful flowers with delightful fragrance. They will last for over a week in a house in cool conditions.

Cut off the flower heads when they fade. Keep watering and continue to feed until the leaves are completely yellow and die down. In April and May your pots can be stood outside. In May or June you can remove your corms, dry them off, clean, and store spread-out, exposed to the air, in a cool, dry and well ventilated place for the summer. Alternatively, the pots can be turned on their sides, and kept dry, until replanting in August.

Growing Freesias in Pots in the Spring

For starting Freesias in spring, pot specially prepared corms 5-6 weeks before the last frost. Then keep them frost-free in a cool cellar or cold frame, where the temperature stays between 57-63 deg F (14-18 deg C), for six weeks, so that the flower buds can form. They can then go outdoors, unless temperatures are over 70 deg F (21 deg C).

Keep lightly shaded outdoors. Full sun is too much for them. Indoors they can be stood by a sunny, south-facing window that is lightly shaded by a thin net curtain. Keep the soil moderately moist, but not soggy. And don't let your plants dry out during active growth. Indoors rotate the pot for uniform growth. The blooming period is normally July to August. Remove dead, dried flowers to keep your display looking fresh.

After flowering, water and feed your plants until the foliage has died back. Then let the soil dry out, remove the corms, clean them, and store spread-out in a cool,dry place with good air circulation. They can be planted again the next spring.

Growing Freesias in the Garden

Freesias can be grown outside in well-drained, sandy soil in a sunny or very lightly shaded location. Freesias are hardy in USDA zones 9 and 10. They can be grown outside all-year-round in regions with frost-free, moist winters and dry summers. They cannot tolerate damp summers, and here it is best to dig up the corms and store dry for at least three months. In hot climates, they will go dormant in the summer.

In the southern US states, plant the corms in early fall for flowering the following spring. Elsewhere they should be planted in the spring. Place the corms 2 inches (5 cm) deep and 4 inches (10 cm) apart.

Apply slow release fertilizer granules to the soil before planting or a top dressing 6 weeks after shoots appear. Watering is needed if the soil begins to dry out. Keep the soil moist during flowering. They should bloom 3-4 months after planting. Lift and store, as described above, when the foliage withers.

Freesias can be attacked by aphids, white flies, thrips, snails, and botrytis mold disease. Wilt causes the leaves to turn yellow, wilt, and then die. The corms may develop yellowish brown spots on the surface and this develops into a dry crumbly rot.

When flower buds fail to open, this can be caused by too high night temperatures, by the soil drying out, or by overwatering.

Propagation

You can propagate your Freesia bulbs by detaching offsets in the fall, or by sowing seed in spring. Seed germinates in 4 to 6 weeks at a temperature of 54 deg F (13 deg C). Sow in pots of finely sifted soil, and lightly cover the seed with a sprinkling of soil. Stand in a warm location. Place glass or plastic over the container until they germinate.

You can obtain best quality Freesia bulbs with a delicious scent here. Just click on top quality Freesia bulbs.

You may come across the species Freesia alba (white) and Freesia armstrongii (pink).

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