Freesias. Give up or keep hoping?

[Koulibiak]

Freesia newbie here.

I planted freesia bulbs/corms in early March, and put the pots in a cool, dark shed for a month as recommended, but they didn’t start growing. I decided to put the pots out anyway, hoping the sun and warmth would wake them up. They’ve now been in the sun for two weeks, still no sign of growth. I’ve only given a bit of water so the soil is barely moist.

Is there still a chance they will grow, or should I cut my losses and use the pots for something else? And should I return them to the cool, dark shed until they sprout, or leave them in the sun?

TIA

Can you uncover one and see if it's got any sign of life going on?
I've never grown freesias but I don't think I'd give up on them until I was 100 sure they weren't doing anything.

I’ve tried to grow freesias for years without success. This year I soaked them before planting and the did germinate, but only a couple seem to be getting flowers.

@heldinadream excellent idea- I will try and dig one out tomorrow and will report. I strongly suspect they are doomed - but as I have zillions of seedlings that need new homes, the pots will come handy ☺️

As Monty says, if it doesn’t work, that’s fine - you’ve learned something

@outnumbered77 sorry you’ve got similar struggles!

The freesia experiment has come to an end - not a single one grew. A few of the bulbs had developed bulbils or roots, but most were completely shrivelled and dead.

I don't know what you have to do to make them grow. MIL was a brilliant gardener and adored freesias - she never managed to get them to grow.

I think the moment I saw freesia bulb packs in the garden centre, I was like “OMG I love freesias. I wonder why I never see any in other people’s gardens?” And now I know the answer. They just don’t want to grow here. 🤷🏼‍♀️ it’s odd because we have loads of plants that are from the southern hemisphere, and for which seasons are reversed, but for whatever reason, freesias are being stubborn and refusing to grow on a U.K. calendar. Bah. The pots have been filled with zinnia seedlings, so all is well.