When to sow freesias in Tungi

Why these dates

In frost-free gardens plant corms in autumn for late-winter flowers. Where there is frost, plant after the last one for early-summer flowers, or grow them in pots started in autumn and kept somewhere cool and bright. Freesias need cool nights below about 13C to initiate flowers at all, which is why a warm greenhouse produces leaves and nothing else.

Killed at about -3C. The limiting factor is heat rather than cold: the corms need a warm dry dormancy but the growing plant wants cool conditions, so hot-summer climates flower them in winter and spring only.

Freesias are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Tungi has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.

Tungi sits in zone 11b, which is milder than this crop wants, and a winter that never really arrives is its own problem. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.

See every crop timed for Tungi →