These are grown as annuals that go into the ground after the last spring frost date and bloom in late summer.
According to the experts at the Royal Horticultural Society, if you lift the freesia bulbs after they have finished blooming and store them in a location that’s 80°F with 75 to 80 percent humidity for 14 to 20 weeks, you may be able to encourage them to rebloom the following spring.
In addition to outdoor cultivation in cooler regions, you can plant prepared bulbs in pots in the fall, keep them in a greenhouse or indoors with 50 to 70°F (daytime) and 40° to 55°F (nighttime) temperatures, and enjoy winter blooms in your home.
Purchasing Tips
Select the largest bulbs for the biggest, best quality freesia blooms.
They should feel dry, firm, and plump without blemishes, decay, or mold. The papery tunics should be intact and the tops pointy.
You’ll find many attractive single and double-petal cultivated varieties on the market, or a mix of different type of bulbs.
Double Mix offers a varied collection of brightly colored, fragrant double blooms with a mature height of 12 to 16 inches.
Double Mix
Freesia Double Mix is available from Eden Brothers in packages of 20, 40, or 100 bulbs.
How to Plant
With freesia bulbs in hand, select a location in full sun to part shade outdoors and work the soil to a depth of four inches until it is uniformly crumbly and free from rocks and debris.
Conduct a soil test to determine the pH and amend it if necessary per the instructions you receive with your results.
To grow them in containers, fill your chosen vessels three-quarters full of all-purpose potting soil.
When you have your soil ready, it’s time to plant.
Set the corms in the ground, pointed side up, approximately two inches deep with the tip just above the soil surface. Space them two to three inches apart.
