letting nature back in

These tiny freesias pop up in unexpected places in the garden. In the wild they thrive in the shade in forests, woodlands or thickets.

We usually refer to them as “little red freesias, so I was surprised to find that are more usually known as the Small Red Iris or Woodland Painted Petals. Their botanical name is Freesia laxa. They are dainty little plants, growing no more than 30 cm tall, with flowers only 2.5 cm across. They occur naturally from the Eastern Cape up the eastern side of the country into Mozambique.

Posted by Carol