Freesia: Growing and Care in the Open Ground

Today's topic is freesia—growing and caring for it outdoors. We'll explore the best spot to plant this magnificent southern flower, how to care for it, and how to store it. It's all quite simple; with just a little effort, your flowerbeds will burst into incredible colors and fragrant buds in a delicate, delightful palette.
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What's good about freesia?

• Firstly, with its delicate, beautiful flowering.
• Secondly, it has a special fragrance, similar to the aroma of lily of the valley.
• Thirdly, the plant can be transplanted indoors for the winter, and in the middle of winter you will have a delightful garden on your windowsill.
• Fourth, freesias last a long time when cut into bouquets, retaining their beauty and fragrance. They complement any floral arrangement, making them suitable for virtually any bouquet. Brides especially love their delicate beauty and prefer to include them in their bouquets.

There seem to be enough advantages, they are so obvious that you need to immediately find out how to grow this beauty at home, which is what we will do now.

Freesia in the garden

Any landscape design can be enhanced by the right freesia varieties. There are currently around twenty of them available—tall (up to 1 m) and short (up to 20 cm), large and small, in every shade from snow-white to burgundy—a palette of colors galore!

The most common varieties are:

• Armstrong, reaches 70 cm in height, flowers from soft pink to red, flowering in May-June.
• Freesia hybrid – (grows up to 1 meter, requires support), flowers are large and fragrant.
• Refracted freesia – snow-white, only up to 40 cm high, paniculate spikelets with several buds, blooms in April.
• The most fragrant is the fragrant freesia, yellow in color.

Also check out: When to sow petunias for seedlings in 2016 according to the lunar calendar .

Growing conditions

Since freesias bloom year-round, many gardeners choose to plant bulbs stored over the winter in the garden in the spring, and then pot some of the dug-up bulbs in the fall. And in winter, freesias produce magnificent blooms indoors with a charming, delicate fragrance.

Freesias should be planted in the garden in the spring, preferably by early May, when the soil is already warm and frost is not expected. Choose a location with plenty of sunlight, but still shaded by trees, as freesias, while sun-loving, do not tolerate direct sunlight. The lacy shade of trees is the best option. Also, ensure the location is not exposed to winds; this southern beauty dislikes drafts, and tall varieties should be tied up to prevent the stems from breaking in the wind.

To grow freesia outdoors, it's recommended to let it grow a little indoors. This can be done in April, so that the mature bulbs can be planted in the ground in May. Peel the bulbs, remove any excess or rotted material, treat them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and plant them in fertile soil, preferably in peat pots.

Loosen the soil, add peat moss, humus, and leaf mold. Dig shallow holes, no more than 5 cm deep, plant the bulbs, and cover with soil. Once they sprout, water them and fertilize them with a solution of superphosphate and ammonium nitrate. In winter, dig them up, treat them with a solution of potassium permanganate, dry them, and hang them in a net. This way, they'll last until spring. However, you should still inspect them periodically, remove any damaged ones, and then return them to the garden in the spring.
Also check out: Perennial phlox - planting and care, photos.