Flowers are a symbol of many positive and graceful things. They stand out for beauty, love, and peace. They are the soul of every garden to help humans feel healthy and close to their natural environment. Another common use of flowers is the way they perfectly convey messages of love, happiness, and sometimes, even grief. Nonetheless, flowers are perfect as ornamental and decorative pieces as it is the case for today’s flower: Freesia.
Being a perennial plant coming from South Africa, freesia is perfect for bringing African vibes into your garden. This ornamental and decorative plant offers a vast range of colors. It is mainly used to brighten up our interiors with magnificent bouquets of vibrant colors. This plant is also very fragrant; thus, it is a popular ingredient in perfumeries.
With all these fantastic qualities, you must want to know more about this plant, from its different uses to its care and maintenance tips. This article is mainly about that, and you are going to discover the following points:
* Characteristics of the Freesia Flower
* Different Uses of the Freesia Flower
* How to Plant the Freesia Flower?
* How to Maintain and Multiply the Freesia Flower?
Characteristics of the Freesia Flower
Freesia has been used in horticulture for so long that it is difficult to find a parentage in hybrids available for cultivation. However, they are mostly descended from “Freesia refracta.” Freesia is now becoming fashionable again in cultivation, whereas it has been used mainly as cut flowers.
The freesia is native to South Africa, where it supports a dry winter with little frost and a hot summer that is rather rainy.
Freesia is a bulb with flat, linear, and sheathing leaves reminiscent of the leaves of irises. A flexible floral stem emerges from the center and carries up to 10 flowers. They have a cup-shape and are slightly tubular, and they vary in color from yellow to red, including blue, and all of the intermediate colors. They give off a delicate scent.
Different Uses of the Freesia Flower
Freesia is a plant with many uses. With its pretty flowers, it is one of the most beautiful ornamental plants one may use! You can find many hybrids resulting from the crossing of different variations of the plant with astonishing and variant looks. The freesia flower comes in various bright colors and delicate scents that make them very charming. You can perfectly add it to your garden, balcony, or window to give it a beautiful touch. You cannot go wrong with that!
The other most common use for the freesia flower is its frequent use in perfumery. For example, the perfume “Noa” by Cacharel made in 1998 or the famous “Hugo Just Different” from Hugo Boss both are heavy on freesia. Its sweet and sophisticated scent is similar to that of jasmine and orange blossom. This is one good reason to add it to your plant collection and enjoy its perfume in your home.
How to Plant the Freesia Flower?
Because freesia comes from South Africa, there are many things to be aware of before starting to grow it.
You can plant the freesia flower in the fall in a cold frost-free greenhouse to obtain spring-flowering from March to May. Alternatively, you can plant it in spring for summer flowering. In this case, you should remove the bulbs from the ground when the leaves have finished wilting, and store them in a cool, dry place until the following spring.
In order to obtain a beautiful and successful flowering, the freesia flower requires rich and well-drained soil with potting soil at the base. It needs proper regular watering because it comes from rainy regions. When the flowering is over, you may cut the flower stalks to avoid tiring the bulbs, but you can leave one or two if you want to harvest a few seeds. If you wish to boost your plant’s growth, use a bulb fertilizer.
How to Maintain and Multiply the Freesia Flower?
In order to maintain your freesia flower and have a magnificent flowering, freesia requires regular removal of leaves and dried flowers, without forgetting frequent watering. To help your plant support its flowers, you can use a stake if necessary.
Freesia is a bulbous plant that resists parasites and diseases very well except snails and the cold. Therefore, you should not leave it outside during winter.
If you want to multiply your plant, you can do it by separating the bulbs or by sowing with seeds collected from your plants. To do so, keep them cool and dry until the next spring, then plant them respecting all the pieces of advice we have given you above. This way, you can have many freesia flowers to enjoy for their decorative touch or their fantastic scent.
Flowers are perfect decorative tools for your home. They can help you feel healthy and close to your natural environment. They also convey messages of love, happiness, and peace to whomever comes to your home.
One of the most famous flowers for decorative uses is the freesia flower. This perennial plant coming from South Africa is perfect for giving a decorative touch to your home and offers a wide range of colors. It is also one of the most used plants in perfumery, with its sweet and suave scent similar to that of jasmine and orange blossom.
This plant is not hard to grow if you take into consideration a few details. It resists parasites and diseases very well, but it fears snails and cold. Therefore, your care process should target these two problems. As long as you avoid them, you are going to get the most sublime flowers to enjoy during summer.
