Freesias are considered popular cut flowers for a reason. Their exotic-looking flowers with a delicate scent are a delight for the eyes and nose. You can bring the beautiful onion plant into the garden, but caring for it is not easy.
How do you plant freesia bulbs correctly?
Freesia bulbs should only be planted in the garden after the Ice Saints in May. Choose large, undamaged tubers, store them warmly for a few days and offer them a bright, warm location. Plant the bulbs about five centimeters deep in the soil with the pointed end facing up and then water them thoroughly.
Why are the tubers so important?
Freesias can live for several years. However, they are not green all year round. After the flowering period, the leaves also wilt. The plant draws all its energy into the tuber and stores it there for the next season. In the spring the freesia will sprout again, but only if it has survived the winter.
The tubers are also important for the propagation of freesias, because over the course of the year the mother tuber forms so-called breeding tubers. You can carefully remove these in the fall when you dig up your freesias for overwintering. The chances of successful propagation are significantly greater than with sowing.
How do I store the tubers in winter?
Freesias are not hardy, neither are the tubers. It is therefore essential that they overwinter frost-free. They don't need light during this time, but they do need good ventilation. Otherwise, the delicate tubers can easily start to rot. For example, ideal storage is in a wooden or cardboard box that you first fill with straw.
Pulling freesias from tubers
Whether you buy your freesia tubers fresh or have separated them from the mother tuber, you should only (re)plant undamaged tubers. When buying, also make sure that the tubers are nice and large. They should then be stored warm for several days and watered warmly immediately before planting.
Remember that freesias are not hardy and should therefore only be planted after the Ice Saints in May. Insert the bulbs into the soil at least two inches deep, with the pointed end facing up. Then water thoroughly again.
The most important things in brief:
- only buy large and undamaged tubers
- only plant in the garden after the Ice Saints
- Mother tuber forms breeding tubers
- overwinter all tubers frost-free and airy
Tip
Freesias prefer a bright and warm location.
