Growing Freesia Flower Indoors

Botanical Name: Freesia hybrids

Freesia flower is often sold as cut flowers in florist's shops. You can enjoy their beautiful, highly fragrant blooms even longer, though, if you grow freesias yourself as house plants.

Funnel-shaped freesia flowers are sweetly-scented and available in single- and double-flowered varieties. Hybrids offer a big range of gorgeous colors -- lavender, pink, orange, red, yellow, white and bicolors. Surrounding the flower stems are long, strap-like leaves.

Freesia bulbs are actually corms, and are easy to force into bloom. Start planting freesia in late summer or early fall for winter or early-spring blooms.

How to Force Freesia Flowers

1. Choose a shallow pot (at least 3 in/7 cm deep) with drainage holes in the bottom. Fill the pot loosely with potting mix. Set corms 2 in (5 cm) apart, pointed end up. Do not press the corms into the mix, keep it loose so the roots can grow through it easily. Top corms with 1 in (2.5 cm) of additional potting mix.


2. Water minimally until you see new growth.


3. Move pot to a bright, warm (80°F/27°C) location such as a sunroom for about 8 weeks. Keep the medium barely moist.


4. When shoots reach about 2 in (5 cm) tall, move the pot to a cooler (60-65°F/16-18°C) room in a bright window for a couple weeks until flower buds form. Turn the pot every couple days for even growth. When in full bloom, keep freesias in a bright location out of direct sun to prolong the bloom.

Origin: South Africa

Height: Up to 18 in (45 cm). Flower stems often need to be staked to hold them upright.

Light: Bright light. Some cool, direct morning sunlight is fine.

Water: Keep the soil lightly moist. Don't overwater because it will cause the corms to rot.

Humidity: Average to moderate humidity.

Temperature: Warm temperatures 80°F/27°C until corms start sprouting, then keep cool 60-65°F/16-18°C while freesia plant is growing and flowering.

Soil: Any good potting mix.

Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks, beginning with the first show of flower buds till the end of flowering. Use a high-potassium liquid fertilizer diluted by half.

Propagation: Corms will not bloom a second time indoors. They do produce offsets that can be planted. After flowering, allow the foliage to die back naturally, cut off the stems, then remove and store the offsets in a dry place.