With its delicate scent and colorful flowers, the freesia is a popular beauty. She originally comes from South Africa, so she loves sun and warmth. It thrives splendidly in this climate, unfortunately it is not available everywhere.
How do I plant and care for freesias in the garden?
Freesias can be planted in the garden, but require a warm, sunny and rain-protected location. Choose humus-rich, moist and well-drained soil. Care for the plants by watering them regularly, without wetting the leaves and flowers, and fertilizing every four weeks during the growth phase. Overwinter the tubers at 15-20 °C.
Can I plant freesias in my garden?
In the past, freesias were mainly traded as cut flowers or house plants, but today there are also varieties for the garden. But these are not winter hardy.
Which location is suitable for freesias?
The location for your freesias should ideally be warm, sunny and well protected from rain. This can also be done on the balcony or terrace, but you can cultivate the freesias in a pot or bucket. Permeable, humus-rich and moist soil with a neutral pH value is particularly suitable.
How do I care for my freesias?
Freesias aren't exactly easy to care for, but they don't require too much effort either. The most care goes to the tubers. If these are not stored correctly, they often fail to bloom later.
Freesias need a lot of moisture. When watering, it is important to ensure that the leaves and flowers remain as dry as possible. Water containing fluoride should not be used as it will harm your freesias. During the growth phase, supply the plants with a low dose of a potassium-based fertilizer (€43.00 on Amazon) about every four weeks.
How should I overwinter freesias?
Only the freesia tubers are overwintered. Only when the leaves have wilted can they be cut off. Store the dried tubers in a straw box. The winter quarters should be well ventilated and the temperature should be around 15 °C to 20 °C.
The most important things in brief:
- suitable for garden planting
- not hardy but very sensitive to frost
- ideal location: sunny, warm, protected from rain
- Soil: humus, loose, moist
- Planting time: end of May, beginning of June
- Flowering time: August to October
- It is essential to overwinter optimally, otherwise there is little chance of flowering again
Tip
Be sure to buy high-quality tubers that are large and undamaged, otherwise the chance of successful flowering is quite low.
