Unusual colored Freesia

I found this in my garden today growing up through a rose bush which is leafing out at the moment. I barely recognized it as the rose foliage on the particular rose is bronze when it's young. Where this came from is a mystery to me since I never planted any freesia that are this color, nor have I ever seen one like this.
In the natural sunlight it looks brown...but under artificial (flouresent) light it looks more like a deep burnt orange.
Anyone ever seen freesia this color before?
I'm posting two pictures.

Here's a 2nd picture.

Yes, I have. I also had it come up among some other Freesia - yellow and purple ones. It only bloomed one year though. It certainly was pretty.

ok, that's just too ironic: These are growing in a batch of yellow and purple ones, too !

LOL! I don't remember that mine were mixed Freesias, but maybe they were. Too long ago to remember. But it sounds like yours weren't.

These "brown ones" are also much taller than the purple and yellow ones. They're about 24" tall vs. the others which are about 12". This clump of bulbs has been there for about 15 years. Someone gave me a 6" pot of purples and yellows that were a centerpiece from a party or a wedding and I just stuck them in the ground. Now all of a sudden there's this oddity. Kinda cool, though !

You know, now that you mention it I think that's kind of how I got mine. A couple of pots of them were being used as displays and then were being thrown out at the end of the event.

I don't remember the red/brown ones being much bigger, but I think they weren't as floppy as the yellow and purple ones.

One thought - my experience with the small South African bulbs is that there can be some really tiny ones in with the mature ones, and they just lay there getting bigger until all at once they're flowering. That might be how these came to be.

I agree. Have you ever grown Tritonia ? I bought one small pkg. of them once (the bulbs are really tiny...like the size of an eraser on a pencil...if that.) They multiply like crazy. The ones I bought were supposed to be mixed colors, but they all ended up being a dark peach...which is fine. Lo and behold, about 12 years later, I dug up a bunch and moved them and when they bloomed there were some white ones in the mix...and they were much shorter than the peach ones.

Here's the peach tritonia. Thought I had a picture of the whites, but I don't.

Those are good-looking Tritonia crocata! I also have some Tritonia, among other SA bulbs. Most of mine are in pots and/or I only have a few of them. I'm very envious of you, though - you're in such an ideal climate to grow them. You might like growing some Sparaxis too - they are easily found in the nurseries or at the big box stores nowadays.

BTW: UC Irvine had their Winter Bulb Festival today - wish I could get down there to see it and buy plants.

Yes, I used to have a LOT of Sparaxis, but the snails devoured them every time they came up. They're very cool. Those SA bulbs can be so small I accidentally dig them up and move them w/o knowing it.
Freesias come up in the oddest places. I find them in hanging pots, in between the walls of the house and the concrete and there's a huge palm tree a few blocks away that has them growing out of the crown of the palm.

$&^#$&^#*( Snails!! Have you tried horticultural grade diatomaceous earth? That works great on both snails and slugs, as well as all kinds of soft-bodied insects. Cuts them to bits.

I know what you mean about moving them around. I've been thinking about that because I want to put a lot of them in my front yard. I thought about using several different kinds of top dressing, spreading it around each clump to show where they are. I'll let you know if it works.

Have you thought about joining the Pacific Bulb Society? They have great bulbs and seeds for cheap. In just the first six months of last year they offered seeds and bulbs of over 150 different species and hybrids.

Freesias in the crown of a palm tree? Too funny! Perhaps compliments of the squirrels?
Regarding snails and slugs, I prefer using Sluggo (or Sluggo Plus to help with some types of insects). Safer for dogs, cats, birds, wildlife...
Michelle

JD was the one who first told me about the Ortho product, pictured here, that kills the slugs/snails AND earwigs. I love it.

Right ! And now they don't sell it here anymore !