Just a Touch of Purple

I went over to Westfield Riccarton this morning and on my way home I stopped off at Mona Vale which is a historic property near by. I have blipped it twice before in different seasons. It was looking so beautiful today we never had any sun and it has been lovely and warm.. we had NO wind for a change. Great day for getting some shots of flowers. It was really hard to know which one to put up as there were so many wonderful flowers out.

In the Victorian language of flowers, Freesias represent innocence or friendship. They have been given the honour of signifying a seventh wedding anniversary.

The country of origin for Freesia is South Africa. Most species were found in the Cape Province area in southern Africa and two others were found just north of the equator in a tropical climate.

The plant is named after a physician and botanist from Germany named Frederick Freese. Dr. Christian P. Ecklon, a collector of plants from South Africa, named the flower after his friend and student.

In 1766, two varieties of Freesia were taken to be grown in Europe. They were classified as a Gladiolus species. Several other varieties of freesia were mistakenly classified as part of the Ixis family. Finally, in 1866, the plants were reclassified and the flower was given its own species. The first of the varieties to be described was a white flower called Freesia alba and was described by G.L. Meyer. The early flowers were not well known as they were not available readily to the public and were only grown in greenhouses and nurseries by private growers. They did not take well to cold weather and the climate had to be controlled for them to grow. In 1874, a man named Max Leichtlin found a yellow Freesia growing in the Padua Botanical Garden, and he took corms, cultivated them and began to sell them as a potted indoor plant.

Freesia flowers made an appearance in England in 1878 and were introduced to America shortly thereafter. Articles about the flower began to be published in horticultural magazines, and breeding of the flower began. Today, Freesia flowers can be found in several different colours, and many varieties can be grown in northern gardens during the summer.
For more information on the Freesia.