Flower freesia - tips for care and cultivation

Delicate beauty and a pleasant fragrance is an exotic freesia flower, which was first discovered in South Africa. Among the people, we also know the other name "Cape lily of the valley". The plant can be successfully grown in the open ground and at home, most importantly, follow the existing rules and nuances.

Freesia description

A perennial flower culture has the following characteristics:

  1. Bulbs can be oblong or lyrate, and on top they are covered with films of white or light brown hue. After two years they die and children appear on this place.
  2. The plant has narrow linear leaves that grow right out of the ground. Their length is 15-20 cm, and the width is about 1 cm. On the dark green leaves, the central vein is visible.
  3. The thin stem reaches a length of 20-70 cm, and hybrid varieties sometimes reach up to 1 m. Above, the shoot is highly branched.
  4. Many are interested when freesia blossoms, and so this process comes in 3-4 months. after waking bulbs. Spicate inflorescences include 3-6 buds. The shape of the flower is a narrow funnel that is divided into petals. It can be a shade, for example, cream, lilac, pink, red, blue, purple.
  5. After pollination, seed capsules begin to mature, which have three facets. Seeds of dark brown color retain their germination throughout the year.

Varieties of freesia

There are many types of freesias and among the most popular options can be identified as follows:

  1. Freesia terry. This is a whole group of flowers, which are characterized by lush terry flowers. Round and wide petals are located in several rows, so this variety is also called shrub freesia rose. Color of the flower can be one- and two-color. The shades of red, blue, yellow, cream and violet predominate.
  2. Freesia is white. It is a compact herbaceous culture that reaches a height of not more than 40 cm. Its stems are thin and bloomed with milky white hairs. Main varieties: "Alba" and fragrant.
  3. Freesia red. A variety with red buds - "Cardinal". This freesia flower is simple and non-marble, and its height reaches 70 cm. Bulbs produce three peduncles, the length of which reaches 35 cm. The beam can have from 9 to 11 buds. On the red petals there are yellow spots.
  4. Freesia Mix. This is not a separate variety, but a mixture of several species that have different lengths to create a beautiful composition. Color can be varied, so the "Mix" will look good on the private plots.

Freesia plant at home

For an exotic plant to develop well and blossom, it is necessary to create ideal conditions for it and provide proper care.

  1. Of great importance is lighting for 12 hours, so you will additionally purchase a phytolamp as an auxiliary highlight. It is better to place freesia on the south window sill, but it is recommended to save the flower from direct sunlight.
  2. Description freesia indicates that after landing, the air temperature should be at 20 ° C, and after a week, if the landing was in winter, it can be reduced by half. In other cases, the indicators remain unchanged. Serious temperature fluctuations can adversely affect the flowering.
  3. It is important to pay attention to the quality of the soil and here there are two options: to buy the soil or make it yourself. In the first case, the substrate for bulbous plants is suitable, and in the second, use a mixture: 2 parts of peat, 1/2 part of sand and part of turf ground, and also put a large pinch of bone meal and ash.

Freesia in the pot - planting

For growing at home, you can use two options:

  1. Planting seeds. Planting material must be kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 24 hours in order to conduct disinfection. Sow seeds in a container filled with steamed compost or a special ready-made soil. Top with a film or glass to create greenhouse conditions. Ventilate them at least 20 minutes. After 3-4 weeks, shoots will appear. Do not forget to water and slightly loosen the ground. Daily it is recommended to make top dressing with potassium and phosphorus. When the sprouts grow, spear in a separate pot.
  2. Planting bulbs. Knowing how to plant freesia with bulbs, you can get beautiful flowers for different holidays. If you want to enjoy the beauty of the New Year, then the landing should be carried out in early September. To get the freesia flowers for Valentine's Day, then plant them in early October, and at the end of this month begin to grow the bouquet in the last days of October. Choose bulbs of the first and second parsing. Before planting, soak them in a disinfectant solution, for example, in boric acid (0.01 g per 1 water), and then rinse them under running water. Pots for planting should be deep up to 30 cm. Plant 4-6 pieces. depending on the size. At the bottom lay a clay, mixed with wood ash, and then, fill the soil. Between the bulbs should be 5 cm and at the same distance you need to deepen them into the ground. Pots put in a room where the temperature is about 15 ° C.

Freesia - home care

In order for the plant to develop well, it is important to use additional lighting when the light day is short, that is, in autumn and winter. When growing freesia at home, it is necessary to use pedestals for peduncles. Water it every other day and moderately. Spray the bushes periodically. It is important to maintain the temperature and be sure to make fertilizer.

Freesia - top dressing

The plant reacts best to liquid fertilizers, but it does not tolerate dry nutrient mixtures. In the description of the freesia flower, it is indicated that it is important to start feeding immediately after the shoots appear. In the period of active growth, the formation of buds and flowering, complex mineral fertilizers are needed. In addition, during active growth, nitrogen fertilization can be carried out, and phosphorus and potassium during the flowering period. Freesia fertilize every two weeks with watering.

Freesia in the garden

For successful growing, you need to choose the right place and better give preference to semi-shaded areas that are protected from the wind. Garden freesia will grow well and bloom in fertile and moisture-permeable soil. Experts recommend using rotten compost or humus. It is important that the soil is neutral and to reduce acidity, add dolomite flour to the plow layer.

Planting freesia in the garden

As in the case of home-grown, you can use both bulbs and seeds. It is important to know how to plant freesia in the spring in the open field:

  1. Bulbs. The planting material must be pre-germinated, so for two months it is planted in the ground at a temperature of 8-10 ° C. Landing in the open ground is carried out in the middle-end of May, when there is no risk of frost. It is important to consider that between the bulbs or seedlings was a distance of 3-5 cm. They should be deepened 3-6 cm.
  2. Seeds. This variant of planting is used rarely and stratification of seeds is not required. In order to obtain a long flowering, the sowing is carried out in several stages at intervals of 15-20 days, starting from April to June. Preliminary, seeds should be germinated in a damp cloth or in sand. They should be in the dark and be sure to spray. When the first two leaves are formed, then a pick is performed on the beds. Between the flowers should be 4-5 cm, and between rows of 10-15 cm.

When to plant freesia in the ground?

One of the most important criteria that must be observed when planting a plant outdoors is the temperature regime. Finding out how to plant a freesia correctly, we must not forget that it comes from a warm climate, so it is important to wait until the earth warms up well. Planting flowers is carried out when the air temperature will not fall below 15 ° C.

Freesia - growing and care in the open ground

There are several rules regarding proper care that you must know:

  1. Watering. For the proper cultivation of freesia, it is important to consider that the flower does not like drought, but too much water for the culture is undesirable. Water it under the root, and do it better before dinner, so that the bushes dry out.
  2. Support. The freesia flower is high and can not be avoided. It is better to use a grid for this.
  3. Top dressing. In the phase of the appearance of the first sheet, a fertilizer is applied - ammonium nitrate . When the plant is planted on a permanent growing site, it is necessary to carry out fertilizing with potassium and phosphorus fertilizers twice a month.

Freesia in winter - special care

In the middle of autumn, leaves begin to turn yellow and this indicates that you need to start digging it out. Bulbs clean from above-ground shoots, remove dirt and scales, and then dry them for 3-4 days at a temperature of approximately 25 ° C. In order to see the blossoming freesia next year, bulb care in winter means storing them in a warm room, and not in the basement, as required by other flower crops.