How to Grow and Care for Freesia Flowers

About Growing Freesia Flowers in Your Home Flower Garden

If you’ve ever grown Freesia plants, it may well be one of your favorite flowers. Floral shops love ’em, too. Florists use them in bouquets and other floral arrangements. Growing Freesia flower bulbs is easy. And it is an attractive flower, with a strong, pleasantly sweet, citrus-like scent. These aromatic flowers are commonly used in lotions, shampoos, and soaps. They look great in flower gardens, in flowerpots indoors, or on your deck. As cut flowers, the blooms are long-lasting.

The pretty, fragrant flowers grow on stalks surrounded by spiky, sword-like, green foliage. The flower stem produces 5 – 7 tubular flowers, which all point in the same direction. There are 15 – 20 species, and over 300 hybrids. So, you have plenty of variety to select from when buying Freesia bulbs.

Freesia is native to South Africa. The flower is a symbol of friendship, innocence, and thoughtfulness. They look their best when grown together in clumps or masses. And, this versatile flowering plant grows well in containers indoors.

Flowers Bloom: Late Spring to Summer. Flowers bloom 10 weeks after planting.

Flower Colors: Freesia colors include blue, orange, pink, red, violet, white, and yellow. There are a few bi-colored striped flowers, too.

Plant height: Plants grow 1 to 2 feet tall.

Plant Hardiness Zones: 9 – 10

Did You Know? The word “Freesia” comes from 19^th century German physician, Friedrick Heinrich Theodor Freese.

Freesia Flower Plant Propagation

Freesia plants are grown from bulbs. Over a few years, they will multiply rapidly, forming dense clumps, or masses. The plants can get overcrowded. It is best to dig up the bulbs and separate them every 2-3 years.

Freesia can also be grown from seeds. This is done primarily by horticulturalists. It takes longer to produce flowering plants.

Bulb Planting Depth: Plant bulbs 2 inches deep.

Final Plant Spacing: Space plants 3 inches apart.

How to Grow Freesia Flowers

The plants are easy to grow. In the fall, acquire good, healthy bulbs from a quality, reliable source. You can also plant them in early spring. Plant the bulbs about two inches deep, and three inches apart. Do not plant them closer, as they will fill in over a couple of years.

Tip: Freesia is attractive in pots and containers. If you are growing Freesia in pots or containers, plant bulbs close together, so the arrangement looks full.

Freesia plants like rich, well-draining soil. It is most important that the soil is not wet or soggy for extended periods.

Water plants only if the soil is dry a few inches below the surface. Add a layer of mulch, to keep the weeds down, and your Freesia will grow almost maintenance-free.

Add a general-purpose fertilizer after the flowers have died.

After the plants are done flowering, allow them to continue to grow until they die back naturally for the season. Then, you can cut the dead plants off at ground level.

Ideal Soil pH: 6.5 – 7.5.

Growing Freesia Plants Indoors

Like many other bulbs and corms, Freesia corms need a dormant, chilling period in order to set the blooms. In nature, the cold winter provides this “chilling period”. The corms need to chill for several weeks. This can be accomplished by putting corms in the refrigerator. Another way is to pot them up and set the pots out in a cold garage.

Once the chilling period is complete, bring the pots with the freesia corms indoors and bring them up to room temperature overnight. Then add water to the container and you are on your way to seeing bright and cheerful freesias in the dead of winter.

After the plants have bloomed and died back, you can dig the corms out of the pot, and store them for planting outdoors in the Fall.

Note: Often crocus grown indoors will not store a sufficient amount of energy to bloom next year. However, with a year of growth outdoors, they will bloom again the following year.