Hybrid freesia

Family Iridaceae. Garden hybrids have been obtained by crossing the bent freesia and Armstrong freesia. Plants are considerably larger than the original species, reaching 60-80 cm in height, sometimes 100 cm. The flower is large, up to 6 cm in diameter, arranged in an inflorescence of 10-12 flowers. Color varies widely from pure white to raspberry and purple.

Among florists the following freesia cultivars are popular: white - Apollo, Ballerina, Miranda; bright orange - Carmen, Orange Favorit, Princess Mariyka; blue - Atlanta; bluish-lilac - Royal Blue; dark pink - Sen Malo; bronze-red - Stockholm; purple-pink - Flamingo; cream-yellow - Fantasia.

Greenhouse culture: Freesia can practically be grown year-round; the time of flowering depends mainly on the planting date of the corms. They are planted on benches and in boxes in a substrate (layer thickness at least 15-20 cm), however they develop less well in boxes. Planting depth on light soil is 12 cm from the bottom, on medium 8-10 cm and on heavy 6 cm. Plants should be watered regularly, preferably in the morning so that the leaves have time to dry before night. The nutrient substrate should be loose and permeable to water. It consists of a mixture (in equal parts) of peat, manure, sod, leaf and humus soil, or peat and sod soil (2:1) with a slightly acidic reaction. Over the beds support frames are arranged for stretching mesh (cells 10x10 cm), twine or other tying material in 2-3 tiers. During forcing several dressings with a complete mineral fertilizer are given. For the first 5-6 weeks after planting the corms the air temperature should be 20-22°, and the substrate at the level of the corms 15-17°. Under such conditions the corms sprout in 15-20 days. Five to six weeks after planting the temperature is reduced to 7-10° in winter and 15-20° in spring. At temperatures above 20° or below 5° deformation of the flower stalks occurs. Before flowering the temperature must be maintained at 15-17°. After flowering the freesia is kept for 3-4 weeks at 15-25° by day and 12° at night. As soon as the leaves begin to yellow, the corms are dug up, dried in the shade at 25-28° for 5-7 days, cleaned, sorted and stored for 12-15 weeks at 28-30° and 65-70% relative humidity, and during the last two weeks before planting at 12-15°. Cut when the first 1-2 flowers on the inflorescence open. The forcing period of freesia can be shortened and flower quality improved by supplementary lighting from mid-October to mid-March, extending the day length to 12 hours.

In the garden: you can try growing freesia outdoors. Choose a site protected from winds, in partial shade. Any soil will do provided it is loose and well drained. Bulbs are planted at a depth of 3-6 cm in early May, but not earlier, as freesia is sensitive to frost. In August each bulb produces one to three flower stalks. With good weather flowering lasts until October. Flowering can be prolonged by planting bulbs in a pot or container. When frost arrives it is easy to bring it indoors, and then a fragrant bouquet of freesias will delight you for a long time. In winter bulbs are stored in a dry ventilated room at 25° for a month after digging. Then the temperature is reduced to 10°. Under a different storage regime many freesia corms often do not form inflorescences.

Propagation: by seed and vegetatively. Sow seeds from mid-April to June in several batches. First soak them for 24 hours in a pink solution of potassium permanganate, sow in pricking-out boxes or bench soil in a mixture of leaf, sod and humus soil or in compost greenhouse soil. At 20-22° (they can also be kept in the dark) mass germination appears in 25 days; seedlings are then kept in the light at about 15°. An increase in temperature above +24°C delays the onset of flowering. At the 1-2 leaf stage they are pricked out into boxes or paper cups and then kept in greenhouses or hotbeds. In summer they require watering, weeding, and weekly feeding with mineral fertilizers (per 10 l of water: 5 g of ammonium nitrate and potassium phosphate; in the second half of summer the dose of the latter is doubled). From the hotbed the seedlings are transplanted into the benches of a light greenhouse or onto shelves. In November-December the temperature is maintained at 8-10°; if the plants are not flowering, it is lowered to 5-7°, and during bud formation raised to 15°. Supports in 2-3 tiers are arranged over the beds for tying the flower stalks. Seedlings flower after 8-9 months. After cutting, when the leaves yellow, the corms are dug up, dried in the shade at 22° with good ventilation. After cleaning and sorting they are placed into storage.