My wife loves freesias, which usually arrive in this part of the world along with the daffodils, snowdrops and other harbingers of Spring around March and April of each year. The fragrant display of a wonderful array of multi-coloured buds at the ends of their slender green,“zygomorphic”stems alongside the more common dark chromium yellow variety, combines to compliment an intoxicating aroma which tends to linger in a small room on a cold day. The arrival of the new season’s freesias in our location conveniently coincides with the date of my wife’s birthday each March and during my annual visit to the florist this year I was reminded of a special moment which we both shared in 1993, the year of her 50th anniversary.

To celebrate this special occasion, I had secretly booked a weekend break for us both in the Channel Island of Guernsey and prior to our departure I had ventured to phone ahead to ask the hotel if they might just leave a few freesias in our room.  Of course, Guernsey is well known to be a major supplier of these exquisite little blooms and the request would have been a simple one to fulfil, but imagine a delighted wife when we opened the door and entered our room on arrival, first of all to be almost overpowered with the fragrance which enveloped the place and then by the enormous size of the bowl into which they had been placed. At todays prices, I am sure the cost would have been the equivalent then of the holiday itself and the gesture was exceedingly well received and appreciated by the recipient.

Learn more about the Freesia