Freesia (lat. Freesia) is an elegant perennial plant of the iris family that has become popular in recent years both in garden compositions and for bouquet cuttings. Freesia height varies from 20 to 60 cm in common varieties, while hybrid garden variants can reach 100 cm. Leaves are linear, up to 20 cm long and about 1 cm wide, giving the plant a neat appearance.
Freesia flowers are gathered into elegant inflorescences of five pieces on a branched peduncle. Bud shape is funnel-shaped, elongated up to 7 cm. Color palette is wide: from delicate cream-porcelain shades to saturated red, burgundy, and purple tones, including bicolors with contrasting throats. Freesia aroma is especially pronounced in the evening hours, making it ideal for romantic bouquets.
For growing in open ground, bulbs should be planted after the threat of frost (second decade of May) to a depth of 3–6 cm and at a distance of 3–5 cm from each other. The plant prefers partial shade and fertile soil, requiring regular watering, feeding, and weeding. After flowering, bulbs are dug up and stored at 20–22 °C until the next season. Thanks to proper agrotechnics, freesia grows successfully in a temperate climate, and its exquisite flowers retain freshness in bouquets for a long time.
