Freesia Indoors

[Izzie]

Recently conned into buying a beautiful Freesia plant. It's too cold to put it outside yet.
I have it in a south window, but it's still dropping its blooms pretty fast and just not looking happy. Any ideas of what to do till spring?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Freesias originally come from South Africa. Most species occur in the Cape Province area of South Africa, so cold shouldn't a problem for many of them.

We grow ours outdoors all year round. They go dormant during the winters, and grow all through spring and summer. Fall is when they start dying back.

They absolutely need to go dormant in order for them to persist. Growing them warm all year round is counter-productive.

They should never encounter snow in the winters.

Don't think of it as being conned. I think you got pleasantly persuaded! They are very fragrant. By this I mean I can smell then from 10 ft to 15 ft away! They're also in my opinion very beautiful flowers.

Oh, yeah...

The flowers don't last very long, they naturally wilt within a few days of being in bloom. Don't worry about that.

[Izzie]

By encounter snow- do you mean as a bulb, or when it's sprouted? Our snow season lasts anywhere from October-April.
It's not warm enough to put it outside yet, am I right in just keeping it in a bright window?

When I take it outside, we do not have ground to put it in. (townhouse with patio)
Mind spoon-feeding me and telling me the steps here? I put it outside, it's in the sun getting water yay.
It goes dormant in fall? Should I cut off it's leaves, withold water?

completely at a loss here- but loving having a new plant to learn about.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

It should probably never encounter snow as both a bulb and a sprout/full grown plant.

If yours is a hybrid as are most people's including mine. Then do some research and see where the parents come from.

South Africa is very diverse in habitats. It is not all desert down there.

Some species from high altitudes might encounter snow as a bulb, but the bulbs are underground a bit and do not touch snow.

It's like any other spring bulb. Grows speedily and blooms in spring. Stays in bloom through the early to mid parts of summer. Leaves stay intact through the remainder of the summer. Dies back in the fall. "Dormancy" as a bulb in winter (it's actually more like underground growth in winter, mid-fall through early winter is when they start putting their energy into making buds of new offshoots).