Freesia in bloom on the first day of spring
It's the first day of spring here at The Tropical Paradise and the freesia are now really blooming. Last year these guys bloomed about a month earlier, but it has been cold here in the desert this year.
As usual, I am living and learning. I was surprised to find that some of the freesia were badly injured by the frost in January. I guess these really are tropical plants! And, in my enthusiasm, I transplanted some of them from the front yard to the backyard a couple of weeks ago, which was a bit of a mistake. Those plants are blooming, but the intense heat has turned the leaves yellow.
Anyway, this bunch looks great. It looks like they found exactly the right place. They get plenty of sunshine, and since they are at the bottom of a slope, they get plenty of water. These are big, showy blooms, from bulbs I got two years ago at Easy to Grow Bulbs in California. I have tied the stems to thin bamboo sticks because last year, these top-heavy blooms started tipping over.
I have fed these plants with Jobe's houseplant sticks and Miracle Grow diluted in a small plastic watering-can. Since this is their second season blooming, I figured they could use a little food.
Nothing much to do now but sit back and enjoy. And did I mention how nice they smell?
By the way, the products and companies that I mention in this blog don't pay me. But since I've made sooooo many mistakes over the years, having something that works is payment enough.
As usual, I am living and learning. I was surprised to find that some of the freesia were badly injured by the frost in January. I guess these really are tropical plants! And, in my enthusiasm, I transplanted some of them from the front yard to the backyard a couple of weeks ago, which was a bit of a mistake. Those plants are blooming, but the intense heat has turned the leaves yellow.
Anyway, this bunch looks great. It looks like they found exactly the right place. They get plenty of sunshine, and since they are at the bottom of a slope, they get plenty of water. These are big, showy blooms, from bulbs I got two years ago at Easy to Grow Bulbs in California. I have tied the stems to thin bamboo sticks because last year, these top-heavy blooms started tipping over.
I have fed these plants with Jobe's houseplant sticks and Miracle Grow diluted in a small plastic watering-can. Since this is their second season blooming, I figured they could use a little food.
Nothing much to do now but sit back and enjoy. And did I mention how nice they smell?
By the way, the products and companies that I mention in this blog don't pay me. But since I've made sooooo many mistakes over the years, having something that works is payment enough.
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