Growing Guide: How to Grow Freesias

About Freesias

Freesias are exotic-looking blooms that are adored for their vibrant, funnel-shaped flowers. Freesias boast a strong and spicy/sweet fragrance, making excellent fresh cut flowers. The slender stems can reach between 30-60 cm in height. Freesias are usually planted in pots and borders. We offer Freesias in a wide variety of wonderful colors.

How to Grow Freesias

1. When growing Freesias in indoor pots for early summer flowering, plant from January to March under cover. To grow outdoors, plant from April to June.
2. Potting compost or well-drained soil is important as Freesias are likely to rot in heavy or waterlogged soil. For pots, use a soil-based potting compost that is mixed with around a quarter to a third by volume of coarse grit.
3. Plant the long, slender Freesia corms with pointy-end up, at a depth of 3-5cm, and spaced 5cm apart.
4. Once planted it's important to water well and then stand the pot in a cool, shaded, frost free place – a temperature of around 5°C is ideal. After 3-4 weeks when shoots appear, move into a warmer and sunny position.

Caring for Freesias

1. Once growth appears, water Freesias regularly with the aim to keep the compost moist but do not over-water.
2. Start feeding Freesias when the flower buds begin to form. Use a liquid fertilizer high in potash and apply every 10-14 days.
3. Supporting Freesias is important to prevent the stems from flopping over. Ready-made supports or twiggy sticks pushed into the soil work well.
4. Freesia bulb can be dried for you to replant the next year. Once the leaves have died back completely, lift the bulbs from the soil. Once lifted, put them in a warm place for several months to ripen the bulbs, mimicking the conditions of a South African summer. Then, store in a paper bag in a cool frost-free place to plant the following year. The effects of the heat treatment will have worn off so the saved bulbs can only be planted in spring.
5. If waterlogged, Freesia leaves can go yellow and the bulbs can rot. If growing in pots, check after watering to make sure they aren't sitting in water.