How to plant and grow freesia

F(caps)reesia is hard to resist with its wide range of colors and an alluring floral fragrance. Freesia is an attractive flower, with a strong, pleasantly sweet, citrus-like scent. These lovely and beautiful flowers are easy to grow. Freesia look great in flower gardens, or in pots indoors or on your deck, and as cut flowers the blooms are long-lasting.

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Freesia flowers are “zygomorphic” which means that they grow along one side of the stem, in a single plane. When you look at a flower stalk, you'll see that the blooms are facing upwards.

Freesia stems have the unusual habit of turning at right angles just below the bottom flower. This causes the upper portion of the stem to grow almost parallel with the ground. The flowers bloom along the top side of the stalk, facing upwards. This makes them lovely to look down into in a garden setting and ideal for arrangements.

Freesias are native to South Africa, where they are winter growing plants and are frost tender.

How To Grow Freesia From Bulbs

Freesias can be grown either in the ground or in a pot, and they'll bloom about 12 weeks after planting. Whether in garden beds or pots, you can enjoy them for many years to come. Knowing how and when to plant freesia bulbs is very important for their success in the garden. Freesia bulbs can be planted in autumn for flowering from January to April in the greenhouse, or April to July outside in the garden.

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These are my tips for successful growing and caring of this beautiful plant with a gorgeous fragrant flower. Freesia is easy to grow and require little maintenance once established.

Freesias grow from bulbs that must be planted at a particular time of year to thrive.  When you plant your freesias depends on what growing zone you live in. Before planting freesia, check out when to plant freesias in your particular region.

Browse this large range of high quality Freesia Plants and bulbs "Old Fashion Perfume Flower",  and get them in time for the fall planting season!

Select freesia bulbs that are large and firm. Freesia bulbs are also called corms, they look similar to green onions. Always purchase bulbs that have been prepared by going through a dormancy period and that are now ready to grow. 

How To Grow Freesia In a Pot 

• Choose a pot with draining holes and fill it with a standard potting mix.

• Plant the bulbs two inches apart and two inches deep with the pointy end up, cover the bulbs with soil, then water.

• Keep the pot indoors after planting, and move it into full sun once the plants begin to sprout.

• When you see the first sprouts emerge, you can help them get off to a good start by feeding them with a rich organic liquid fertilizer.

 

• Water regularly and keep them moist. Once the bulbs start to sprout, move the pots into full sunlight and keep watering.

• When they reach a height of six to eight inches, stake the plants.

• Freesias need support so they don't fall over. Provide small stakes next to each plant, and gently lean the freesias against them.

How To Plant Freesia Bulbs In The Garden 

• Choose a well drained spot in the garden that gets full sun. Freesias won't bloom if they're planted in the shade. They need full sun to thrive as they have a long blooming season.

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• Enrich the soil with some organic fertilizer such as a well aged chicken manure before planting.

• Dig holes two inches deep, four inches apart, and place the freesia bulbs in the holes with the pointed ends up.

• Cover the bulbs with soil and pat it gently, then water thoroughly.

• Keep the soil moist.

• Feed every 2 weeks with organic liquid fertilizers, such as chicken manure tea, to help promote healthy plants and lots of flowers.

• Flowering takes around 100–120 days from planting.
• Freesia plants will continue to thrive after cutting. You can cut them at the height of their bloom, so there's no harm at all if you want to add some lovely and beautiful flowers to enjoy in your home.

Freesia Plant Care 

• Water in the morning, so the planting bed has time to dry out before nightfall, and water around the base of freesias.

• Freesias do need soil that drains well, and if the water sits around their bulbs and roots it will cause them to rot. Surely you will lose your freesia, so keep that in mind!

Saving Freesia Bulbs 

• After the blooming period has passed, don’t cut back the foliage if you plan on overwintering or saving the bulb.

• Keep watering and let the foliage die back naturally to allow it to store up energy in the bulb. 

•  You'll need to dig up the bulbs and let them dry out over the winter. If you don't protect them from the cold, the bulbs won't survive the winter.

•  Dig up the bulbs and place them in a cool, dry space for the winter, then plant them after the last frost has gone.

• In the warmer climates, you can leave the bulbs in the ground. They'll come up again in the spring, and you will enjoy their beauty after having survived the winter.

• These new bulbs store easily in peat or sand. Keep them in a cool, dry, frost-free place.

If you want to watch when and how to collect freesia flower bulbs, and what is the proper way to store them and increases your success? Watch my video as I will teach you all my tips step by step!

Watch When and How to Collect Freesia Bulbs Video

Growing freesia from prepared bulbs increases your success with getting beautiful blooming flowers. 

Now that you know how to plant and grow them, You can enjoy their beautiful, highly fragrant blooms even longer, Just give it a try and grow freesias yourself they are so easy to grow. Grow Freesias for their beautiful perfume, vibrant color and excellent cut flowers!

Shop for good quality Freesia from HERE!

Please let us know your thoughts, experiences, or questions in the comments below. If you like this, you can share with your friends! 

Happy Gardening!

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