You can count on them to provide enduring encouragement for the main attractions by giving structure and diversity to your bouquet. This exquisite robust flower, Freesia, was first discovered on the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. It wasn't until the end of the 19th century that several European countries began to breed this genus. An avid plant collector and fellow student in South Africa honored Dr. Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese, a German physicist, by giving the flower his name around 1830. These fragrant tubular flowers can be found in both single and double flowering varieties, and vary in color from white to yellow, orange, pink and lavender.
Freesias grow from a corm , or thickened underground stem.
The Freesia family consists of 19 tender, deciduous, perennial corms, and actually they are members of the Iris family, Iridaceae . They bear extremely fragrant flowers in the spring and are often used in borders. And Freesia does well in containers outside, or as houseplants. Freesias grow from 12 to 18 inches tall producing fans of small, sword-shaped leaves. In the spring, long, thin stalks grow above the leaves and bear clusters of dainty, trumpet shaped flowers up to 2 inches long.