DA's Spirit of Freedom

12 years ago

I have a two year old, healthy SOF in a prime position to grow as a large arching shrub. BUT, this has never bloomed nor HAD a bloom. No signs of one yet this year, and in Texas, most are past their spring flush.

SO...I am eyeing that PRIME spot for M. Isaac Perriere, who is in a 2 gallon pot. It would be a great spot for her, great everything! And I could peg her, too, which I have never done.

Hate to not give a rose 3 years or so, but thinking about a move to a less prime spot.

Comments on either? I know MIP needs a good spot for air circulation, etc. Just think I would get more out of her. SOF? is this a great rose??

Thanks

Comments (4)

strawchicago z5
12 years ago
When I read the book "Encyclopedia of Roses", the British authors commented that Spirit of Freedom doesn't like rain. There's a sick-looking distorted bloom of it in HMF with the rain. So it's good thing it didn't bloom!
jeffcat
12 years ago
I bought a 1 gal container of Spirit of Freedom from Roses Unlimited last year. It actually took off very nicely for it's first year, until the pest(AKA mother) decided it was a good time to chop it to the ground for no reason. It gave me a half dozen nice little blooms for a first year rose(in the ground at least). It's leafing out nicely this year in nominal sun since it's planted against a deck on the north side until it gets taller and gets more sun. Basically...it does fine for me in NW Ohio and I've had no problems with it. I can't comment on how it is when it is mature, but it seems as if the canes are flexible enough and the blooms are gorgeous with all their petal packed power.
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People often ask me how I know where to put roses, how to prune them, etc. I say, I don't! I just do what seems right and take it from there. Can I ask where you live, what zone? That could make a difference. As far as the septic smell, I think it could be that, if that is where your septic line is, or it could be anaerobic soil. I get that sometimes when I have an area of heavy clay with poor drainage. There is just not enough oxygen in the soil to allow the microbes to do their thing and they rot. So once you determine that it's not your septic, you can amend the soil to get it healthier. Roots can be a problem. I have cut more roots out than anything. Last year I was doing some planting in front of some established roses and I found a root from a cherry tree about 20 feet away! I was wondering why the roses there did not seem to be doing that well. I cut it back as far as I could. Good luck with your garden, it is fun to be out there and no matter where you put the roses, I promise when you get those first buds, you will be hooked.
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Ah, yes, the sore point: WATER! My garden is a 20 minute drive from my home,set in an incredibly beautiful, hilly, wild place-but there is no running water,no streams...it's up on a rocky hill, where you'd have to drill down something like 80 meters deep to get to an underground stream. We often go for many months with no rain at all- drought is a constant threat,and it just basically doesn't rain in the summer-or if it does, not nearly enough to contrast the blazing sun; it can barely dampen the soil surface.Of course I do harvest rain water, and bring in water in 20-liter tanks in my car,but this situation doesn't allow for any primadonnas. So basically I think I'd be childish and silly to desire roses that require pampering. I'd be better off looking into the Hulthemias, for example-called "desert roses" by some. Not that I can't grow full-flowered ones-Sir Paul Smith, for example, does fine-and English rose, bred by Amanda Beales, I think. Of the few Austins that I do have, I must mention Charles Rennie Macintosh,unique in it's colour, and for the fact that here is one Austin that is actually under-rated, an exception to the rule, IME.For some reason, this one seems to do pretty well, even in my adverse conditions.
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Thanks! I tried Spirit of Freedom and it didn't care for where I had it (Dr. Huey grafted from David Austin Roses USA) so I removed it. I'm going to try again. Own root this time. I also suspect the good doctor doesn't seem to like my particular location due to his lack of root development, but does great within six miles. I also added St. Alban because I love those fluffy, soft yellow, Tea-Noisette-looking blooms and Comte de Chambord. CdC is one I've long considered, but never tried. I will now! Steven
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Yes Sarena, Amara is a snuggler, but she kicks like a mule when she's having a good dream. I wish Amara was a talker , she is strangely silent most of the time. We have only heard a few deep barks , but she screams bloody murder when she sees neighbor dogs on their walk and can't join them to play. I think Amara would be great waving from a parade float. When she leaps at bugs or her toys, all you see is a streak of flying gloves , her dark coat makes the rest of her really well camouflaged. How did we get such perfect Puppers to love, and be loved by ! I think you are going to be captivated by your new Spirit of Freedom, such a poignant name for a time like this. I hope you get to see some blooms before winter. Maybe because mine was so expensive and took so long to obtain, I am fascinated by every little nuance - the color, fragrance , shape... I wish summer could last to observe the roses longer. There is one more little bud forming . .
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cupshaped_roses
12 years ago
Something is def. not right here ... I just went outside and took a look at my 6 feet tall rose bush - that I grow next to my front door - and it has really grown on me during the last 5 years. It really should bloom already the first year if you got it as a bareroot grafted plant?
Mine are grafted - and took off well the first year - even though I had to support the huge floppy flowers - rebloom was sparse - but as you can see on the pictures I have posted on HMF (Niels) the first flowers in the first flush are huge! Like small bowls - with up to 200 petals.
I secured the long 5-6 feet basal shots to a wall support since I intended to grow it as a low climber. And it has performed better each year since I planted it - producing more and flowers and repeat has become better. The flowers have a sweet good rose fragrance that wafts even though not very strong -but often put a smile on my face when I come home. It has earned the prime spot in my garden - very few Austins perform as well as this rose for me - in my climate - has been so hardy, been so resistant to disease - I grow it no spray - and only seen it get a little mildew - no black spot or rust.

Last summer we had 3 times as much rain as a normal summer - the 2. largest summer rainfall recorded in 120 years. And no - since this may be the rose that has the highest petal count of all roses - I do not expect it to like wet weather - but the blooms did not ball or turn into spongy messes like so many other very, very double roses did. They nodded so gracefully and the rain trickled down the outer petals protecting the inner petals and the blooms developed well. Sadly it will be the last year in my garden - along with all the other roses aginst my walls - since we need to have the brick walls repaired next year :-((

I can only imagine what a monster this rose can become in Dallas. Well fed and watered it can probably become a 8-10 feet monster shrub over 3-5 years - and the first flush will be magnificient with many hundreds of roses - and even though the roses in later flushes are smaller - you should get 2 more nice flushes in a season - even though it may go heat dormant in August.

It really has been a pleasant surprise for me this rose - but that goes to show how different the same roses perform in different places of the world.

But yours should still have bloomed ...something is not right ...

How many basal canes has the rose? How big and tall? Are the canes blind shooting - not producing any buds? And it would really help to see a picture of the plant - with the leaves up close for identication.

I would never put up with or accept a rose not to bloom in 2 seasons ... granted some Austin Roses repeats better than others ...but no blooms?
alameda/zone 8/East Texas
11 years ago
I just bought a Spirit of Freedom as a close out sale rose from a nursery - the plant looks healthy - but hasnt been well cared for and is in a small pot. In spite of this...it has a bloom and several more buds at the end of a branch. I am thinking it will do much better in the ground with proper watering and mulching, so have hopes for it. Would be nice to see some photos of it growing in yards.....

DA's Spirit of Freedom

Comments (4)

strawchicago z5

jeffcat

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cupshaped_roses

alameda/zone 8/East Texas

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