The first freesia flower buds of the season

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It's the first week of February here at The Tropical Paradise, and I am beginning to see the first flower buds of the freesia that I planted last October. Freesia is a beautiful and fragrant flower, and is easy to grow here in the Phoenix, Arizona area. It's too late now, of course, to plant them, but put a note on your calendar for September or October of this year.

Other than getting the timing right, which is to plant them in September or October, freesia need no special care. That is, you don't have to chill them or anything, just put them in the ground (I always add a little slow release plant food) surrounded by plenty of potting soil. Actually the trick to getting just about anything to grow here that isn't native to the Sonoran Desert is to remove the native soil and replace it with potting soil. I often say that my plants aren't really planted in Arizona, they're planted in holes in Arizona filled with potting soil!

I purchased these bulbs from Home Depot. Here is a picture of the package (at right). There is a mix of colors, so I really don't know what colors the flowers will be!

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