Freesia: features of planting and care in the open field, cultivation and recommendations, tips for beginners | (100+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews

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Despite the beauty and delicate aroma, few people decide to independently breed freesia because of the whimsicalness of the plant.
And in vain: if you know the rules for planting and caring for freesia, it is easy to achieve lush flowering, which the fragrant beauty will delight for more than one year.

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Description and application

Appearance of flowers

Freesia (freesia) is one of the bulbous plants. Her homeland is South Africa. Plant height from 30 cm to a meter. The flowers, collected in racemose inflorescences, are funnel-shaped and reach 8 cm in diameter.

Variety of colors: yellow, white, scarlet, purple, orange and more. The leaves are long - up to 16-20 cm - and thin, about 1 cm wide.

Freesia belongs to the iris family. It is named after the German scientist Friedrich Frese. In nature, there are only 19 varieties. Another name is Cape lily of the valley.

This is an ornamental plant. It is often used in bouquets, especially wedding

The flowers stay fresh and attractive for a long time. Due to its exquisite aroma, the plant is used in the manufacture of perfumes. You can breed it in open ground, in a greenhouse and even at home.

Use for decorative purposes

Freesia is actively used in landscape design. Under the conditions of distillation, it is possible to obtain flowers for composing festive compositions, for example, by March 8.

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History reference

Variety of shades of the plant

Freesia was first described in the 19th century. A century later, in the Netherlands, during the selection, it was possible to grow varieties of various shades. Crossbreeding was soon carried away in other European countries and in the United States. The main achievement of botanists is the breeding of varieties, united under the nickname "Superfreesia", unusually bright and beautiful colors.

In the first half of the 20th century, it was grown mainly from seeds. Then they began to use corms, but they were often affected by the virus. The plant was first imported to Russia from the Netherlands in the 60s. The beauty fell in love with Russian botanists and flower growers: her breeding was put on stream.

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Some varieties

Red Lion cultivar: red petals and yellow throat

There are four popular plant varieties:

Freesia Armstrong (freesia armstrongii). It has pink, red or scarlet flowers, united in inflorescences of 3-5 pieces. Leaves sprout directly from the tuber. Plant height - up to 80 cm. The flowering period comes at the end of May. A common variety is called Cardinal
Freesia broken (freesia refracta). A small plant, maximum 40 cm in height. The branched stem ends in inflorescences of yellow-orange tones. It starts blooming in mid-spring.Frequent varieties of freesia refracted (broken) - Alba (with white flowers) and Odorata (with bright yellow)
Freesia hybrid (freesia hybrida). Combines the best properties of the previous two. The hybrid reaches a meter in height and is abundantly covered with flowers of different shades. Typical varieties of freesia hybrida are Red Lion (Red Lion), Vinita Gold and Royal Blue (Royal Blue), Ballerina
Freesia terry. Grows up to a meter in height. The length of the leaves reaches 20 cm, width - 2 cm. Peduncles in length - 50 cm. Terry freesia has flowers of different shades: pink, yellow and blue

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General recommendations

Flowers in a flower bed in open ground

An exquisite plant is capricious and requires especially careful care.

The following rules must be observed:

Freesia needs light: it is desirable to provide it with illumination for at least 12 hours a day. At the same time, direct ultraviolet rays are undesirable: it is better to place the plant in partial shade
Drafts must be protected
The earth is recommended to use loose, well-drained. Good soil with peat, leaves, humus. Desirable low acidity
If the variety has lush greenery and wide leaves, it is better to plant freesias at a distance from each other. Varieties with narrow leaves are planted close.
For dense flowering, the air temperature should not exceed + 22-23 ° C
Pruning of the plant is permissible only when at least two flowers have fully blossomed. Withered flowers need to be removed so that they do not consume beneficial nutrients.
Certain varieties (including broken freesia) have a weak stem: you will have to use supports
Freesia likes moist air. But water should not get inside the flowers! Spray only stems and foliage

The first thing a florist needs to pay attention to is this is the land in which the plant will live.

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How to choose planting soil

Soil preparation

Easily absorbent soil containing nutrients is suitable for freesia. The addition of rotted compost has a positive effect. It is permissible to plant a plant in a substrate for roses, if it lives in room conditions.

An important condition for the comfort of shrubs - loosening and mulching of the soil. Mulch the soil for freesia with soft peat. Sometimes steamed straw is used as mulch.

According to the degree of acidity, the soil with an index of 6.0-6.5 is optimal. You can buy land in a store or cook it yourself using the following components:

Leaf or sod land
Humus
Peat substrate
some sand
wood ash

The plant does not like salty soil. Therefore, when using mineral fertilizers, it is desirable to reduce the concentration to 50-60% of the recommended volume.

The next step after selecting the substrate is choice of place and conditions of detention. Freesia planting is possible in the garden, greenhouse or on the windowsill.

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Growing in a greenhouse

Growing freesia in a greenhouse

The appearance of flowers on freesia is due to the time of planting. On average, you have to wait six months. If you drop her off at greenhouse in mid-autumn, flowering will begin early spring. In order for the flowers to bloom in the middle of summer, it is better to plant in March.

Material selection

Preparation of corms

First you need to select the corms. All copies must be healthy, without mechanical damage, strong. It is not recommended to take bulbs with stains, traces of moisture, rotting, mold.You can keep them for half an hour in a saturated manganese or phytosporin solution.

Bulbs are stored at a temperature of +10-12°C: a further temperature drop contributes to faster vegetation.

Planting in the soil

Planting corms

The planting scheme is as follows: the flower is planted in rows in prepared holes. The distance between them is 15-20 cm, between the corms - 5-10 cm.

Planting depth depends on soil characteristics: in a lighter and more crumbly corm, it is immersed by 10-12 cm; if the ground is dense and hard, 5-6 cm is enough.

After deepening produce abundant watering. At first, water every 4-6 days, then - as the top layer of soil dries up. Particular attention should be paid to watering in the summer heat, otherwise the flower will not have enough moisture. Other freesia care conditions are timely weeding and pinching - removing excess shoots.

When the flowering period is over, watering is gradually reduced. It is important to monitor the degree of humidity in the greenhouse: the indicator should not fall below 50%. Otherwise, the plant will begin to wither, the leaves will darken, the flowers will dry out.

top dressing

plant leaves

Freesia fertilizer is determined by the development phase. At the stage of formation of stems and foliage, fertilization with nitrogen is desirable. When flowering begins, solutions are suitable superphosphate and potassium salt.

The plant itself will tell about the deficiency of minerals. For example, a lighter shade of leaves and a small number of buds indicate a lack of nitrogen. If there is not enough calcium, the leaves turn white, then darken and twist. And the lack of calcium or phosphorus is the reason why the freesia does not bloom.

Digging and storing bulbs

freesia bulbs

This is a perennial plant; freesia is transplanted annually. When flowering is over, and the leaves are already turning yellow and drying, corms can be dug up to be planted again next year. After digging, they are transferred to a well-ventilated place with low humidity for two weeks.

Then dry corms are cleaned and sent for wintering at rest. They are stored at a temperature of +25-30 °C and a humidity of 60-70%. When the time for a new landing approaches, the temperature is lowered to + 10-15 ° C.

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Germination from seed

freesia seeds

Freesia reproduces not only by corms; seeds can be used. But the term for the appearance of flowers in this case is not six months, but from 8 months to a year, so experienced flower growers prefer tubers.

Procedure

Reproduction by seeds

To begin with, the seeds are soaked in water for a day. You can use a solution of potassium permanganate of low concentration. Then the seeds are lowered into containers with the prepared substrate to a depth of 1-2 cm. The layer of earth should be at least 15 cm. A drainage layer is laid on the bottom of the container to prevent liquid stagnation.

Next, the containers are covered with cling film. Twice a day it must be removed to ventilate the substrate. Room temperature is maintained - + 18-22 ° C. The first shoots appear after 7-10 days.

Now you need to ventilate more often and longer. The earth must not dry out: sprayed with a spray bottle. When stable warm weather is established, containers with sprouts are taken out to the greenhouse or to the balcony so that they develop faster under the heat of the sun.

For a stable and comfortable growth of seedlings, daylight hours should be 12-14 hours.

Content on the balcony

Pots with seedlings

On a glazed balcony or loggia, in a heated greenhouse, freesia can live until the first frost hits. The temperature is maintained at +15°C, then drops to +7-10°C. When the daylight hours are reduced, additional lighting will be needed.

When the plants are completely withered, the bulbs are carefully dug out of flower beds. They are dried in a regularly ventilated place at room temperature, cleaned and stored in winter at a higher temperature - up to +27 ° C.

Growing in the garden

You can plant a plant in fresh air when the cool weather changes to warm, and the soil warms up to + 10-12 ° C

The main thing is that night frosts are left behind. It is recommended to choose well-lit areas, sheltered from the wind.

The soil should be loosened and absorb moisture well. We must not forget that direct sunlight is no less harmful than insufficient illumination.

The main enemies of freesia planted in the garden are frost and heat.

bulb preparation

To grow a plant in the garden, the simplest way is bulbs. The tubers are placed in containers with soil to a depth of 3-5 cm and left in a warm, humid room. It is useful to add sand and charcoal to the pot. The earth must not dry out.

The first shoots can be seen in two weeks. In spring, containers can be taken out to the glazed balcony. Pleasant coolness and sunlight will help the seedlings gain strength faster.

It is important to remember: during night frosts, typical for spring, seedlings may die. The heat isn't good either. the temperature should not exceed +20 ° C, otherwise flowering will not occur.

Planting in the garden

Outdoor cultivation

Before lowering the tubers into the ground, it is loosened. You can add peat to increase its fertility.

Bulbs are planted in rows in holes at a depth of 5 cm. The distance between the tubers is about 10 cm (you need to focus on the size of an adult plant). Then watered and left in the ground until shoots appear.

Many freesias require a garter. It is advisable to dig the pegs in advance so that in the future you do not accidentally damage the roots of flowering plants.

Care

Watering plants

The bush blooms in the garden for about a month and a half. Once every two weeks, you need to provide top dressing with mineral fertilizers.

Freesia reacts negatively both to the drying of the substrate and to excessive watering. Therefore, watering should be moderate, following the weather conditions and the condition of the plant.

Pruning freesia with pruning shears will help to achieve more abundant flowering. You can increase the duration of flowering by cutting off the main stem by about a third.

Regular feeding will help the plant to hold out until mid-autumn. At the same time, corms ripen: three or four tubers appear, suitable for further reproduction at home.

When the foliage turns yellow, the bulbs are treated in the same way as in greenhouse conditions: dug up, cleaned, then stored at room temperature.

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Diseases and pests

Leaves of a diseased plant

The following factors lead to problems in the well-being of freesias:

Unfavorable temperature conditions
Too much or too little moisture
Errors in the storage of bulbs, leading to the appearance of fungi, bacteria, viruses and developmental anomalies

The main diseases of the plant are usually the same as those of gladioli. They are presented in the form of a table.

Disease	signs	Prevention and treatment
Fusarium wilt (fusarium)	Young leaves quickly turn yellow, the stems dry out, the root system dies. Yellow-brown spots appear on bulbs affected by wilt, traces of decay and fungal infections are noticeable.	The disease is caused by fungi that can survive in the soil for up to 10-15 years. They infect the plant through the root system. Therefore, the best way to prevent freesia disease is to use clean soil. Chemical fungicides are used against fungi, for example, Fundazol, Previkur. Folk method - treat with infusion of wood ash and coal.
Gray rot	A gray fluffy coating appears on the leaves and buds of infected plants.The development of the disease is facilitated by low temperatures or frequent fluctuations, high humidity of the air and soil, overwatering the plants.	For prevention, flowers should not be planted too close. The area or room where freesias grow should be well ventilated, while avoiding drafts. If the disease has already affected the plant, you can spray the leaves with a fungicidal drug Skor.
black spot	Usually the disease appears due to a lack of phosphorus and potassium. Another reason is waterlogging of the substrate. The disease manifests itself in the form of dark brown spots on the leaves.	Black spot can be caused by fungi and bacteria. The easiest way to prevent the disease is to regularly feed the freesia with mineral fertilizers. Also, for preventive and therapeutic purposes, you can spray it with drugs, for example, Fitolavin.
variegation virus	The virus is most commonly transmitted through contaminated garden tools. Flower petals acquire an uncharacteristic variegated color.	Preventive measure - disinfection of tools and proper preparation of the substrate, selection of planting material. Additional prevention will provide top dressing and pest control.

Spider mite damage

Freesia can also be attacked by pests. Among them:

spider mite
Aphid
thrips
rodents

Against ticks and aphids, gardeners use special preparations - insecticides. A more affordable way is to spray the leaves and stems with soapy water. A warm “shower” also helps get rid of spider mites.

If the plant is already affected, then mineral supplements should be stopped for a while. Freesia will not be able to absorb nutrients, and they will accumulate in the soil, leading to its salinization. This will only make the situation worse.

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Conclusion

Freesia is an ornamental plant, the cultivation of which will decorate any site. It is quite whimsical, but with careful care of the grower and compliance with the requirements, fragrant fragile flowers will delight for many years with a variety of palettes and elegance. For more information on caring for a flower, see the video below.