Sweet sensation
Planted in pots or carpeting the ground, freesias are one of those classic, early-spring delights, writes JUDY HORTON
Freesias bring delightful colour and fragrance to the garden in spring
When I was just starting on my gardening journey, I bought a very cheap packet of spring bulbs. I remember it was something like 200 bulbs for $2.99 (it was a long time ago!). I quickly realised how much effort had to go into planting 200 bulbs, but I did rejoice when they eventually flowered. Over the years, however, most have faded away.
Except for the freesias. Every year they pop up and bloom in all sorts of odd places, giving me great pleasure.
Freesias create gorgeous displays in Australian gardens in late winter or early spring, depending on the climate. They grow so well, in fact, that they also decorate roadsides, empty paddocks and spare spaces, which is why they appear on many weed lists. But there has seldom been a weed that is so well loved.
The traditional favourite variety is the one known by the endearing colloquial name ‘granny’s freesia’. More formally, it’s Freesia refracta ‘Alba’ – with ‘Alba’ referring to the soft creamy-white shade of the highly perfumed blooms. The fragile appearance of this variety belies its tough constitution and sheer survivability.
varieties old & new
Although they are loosely classified as bulbs, freesias are technically corms.
This matters little to most gardeners, because like true bulbs, such as daffodils and tulips, they grow from a brown lump that appears lifeless. When planted in a well-drained spot in autumn, they first produce clumps of sword-like leaves.
From these emerge taller (usually up to about 20cm) stems that are eventually topped on one side by a near-horizontal spray of funnel-shaped blooms. This one-sided habit is called zygomorphism.
Freesias come from South Africa, which gives us a clue as to why, with our similar climates, they do well in many parts of Australia. There are about 14 natural species, but most of the garden varieties are hybrids. Apart from the much-loved creamy-white, with its slightly yellow throat and occasional outer strokes of violet, freesia flowers come in shades of blue, purple, red, pink, yellow and orange. Newer varieties have been bred for larger blooms, longer stems and sometimes double ruffled petals. These colourful show-offs are sniffed at by the true believers who think that F. refracta ‘Alba’ is the only one worth growing. I do agree that it wins the prize for best fragrance. In fact, it’s said that freesias are widely used in aromatherapy for their perfume’s value in providing stress release.
Double freesia blooms are much less likely to develop seeds and become invasive, so that is one argument in their favour. And all freesias, whether single or double, make excellent cut flowers.
The sale of freesia bunches in late winter is, for many, a welcome sign that spring is just around the corner.
planting & care
Plant freesia corms, pointy-end up, in autumn into well-drained soil in a position with plenty of sun. They also do well in pots, where good drainage can be more easily guaranteed. Pot culture offers the advantage of allowing you to move the plants to a less obvious position during their unattractive, post-blooming period.