FABULOUS FREESIAS:
Small Flowers with a Very Big Personality
There are some flowers that quietly sit in a vase looking beautiful, and then there are freesias. Small, colourful and ridiculously fragrant, these little flowers have a habit of making their presence known long before you actually spot them.
Originally from southern Africa, freesias have been charming people for centuries. Their story in European horticulture stretches back to the 1700s, although the genus Freesia was formally established in 1866. The name itself has a rather lovely origin. Botanist Christian
Today, freesias are grown around the world and come in a glorious selection of whites, creams, yellows, pinks, reds and purples. But their real party trick is their perfume. Freesias are famously fragrant, with a fresh, sweet scent that can fill a room without requiring an enormous arrangement. Better still, their flowers open progressively along the stem, so a bunch can continue changing and developing long after you bring it home.
How to make your freesias last
Freesias are naturally excellent cut flowers, but a little TLC can make a surprisingly big difference.
Start with a spotlessly clean vase. It sounds boring, but bacteria is one of the greatest enemies of cut flowers. Give the vase a proper wash rather than simply rinsing out yesterday’s water.
Next, trim the stems with sharp floral scissors, taking a centimetre or two off at an angle. Remove any foliage that will sit below the waterline, as submerged leaves encourage bacterial growth, and can cause the flowers to wilt swiftly.
Use a little sachet of flower food! This is an important step, rather than an optional garnish included by an overly enthusiastic florist. Proper flower food helps nourish the blooms, improve water uptake and control bacteria in the vase.
Every couple of days, tip out the old water, clean the vase, refill it and give the stems another tiny trim. While you’re there, gently remove finished blooms. This keeps the bunch looking lovely while allowing the remaining buds to become the stars of the show.
One clever trick many people don’t know is to keep your flowers away from the fruit bowl. Ripening fruit, particularly apples, bananas and pears, releases ethylene gas, which speeds up the ageing of flowers. Your beautiful freesias and your bananas may look charming together on the kitchen bench, but they are not friends.
Finally, keep them somewhere cool and away from strong direct sunlight or heat. With good care, freesias can give you weeks of progressively opening flowers and that unmistakable fragrance. Small flower, fascinating history, heavenly scent and remarkably long-lasting.
