Spirit of Freedom
daisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres
5 years ago
Please tell. Does anyone in a warm climate grow Spirit of Freedom?
I used to grow it in Cornwall, England where it was one of my best roses.
I would love to grow it here, but, could it take the climate?
I don't really have the space, but walking around my little garden this morning, I realised that I could grow it up a pomegranate tree.
Can't find any decent photos, but here it is in my garden in England. It is the rose on the right against the pergola.
...and on the left.
However, that was a mild, damp climate. How would it do in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea?
Daisy
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Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
5 years agodaisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres thanked Sheila z8a Rogue Valley ORRelated Discussions
Spirit of Freedom - At last
Comments (16)Now, I just got an email that Heirloom has this own root rose in stock for Spring shipping. I ordered it, even though I have a grafted one coming from DA already. I'm considering it a scientific comparison primarily. It's not like I have a problem....See MoreCan Spirit of Freedom be grown as a bush?
Comments (13)Ohhh I am so sorry I did not realized my comment never showed up at all before. I am so glad to get all this positive feedback regarding growing spirit of freedom as a bush. My original plan was to have it on a pergola like these magnificent pictures from Helen, but my pergola plans have been postponed. I have 4 SoF in pots and I am a terrible pot mom so I want to get them in the ground somehow. I have plans for 2 on a shed and one on a fence but that leaves me with one extra plant and no space for a climber that I could think of. I may just give her a try as a large bush somewhere. Helen mine are also grafted on Dr. H and I would die if they turn up looking as awesome as yours. I am hopping one day to have a beautiful pergola also....See MoreSpirit of Freedom in stock at Heirloom
Comments (13)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...See MoreSpirit of Freedom alternative
Comments (23)Though DA does deserve to be boy-cotted,I tend to agree with Sheila-get the varieties that you really want while they are still available. The fact is, DA is not about the love of roses; I don't think it ever was. I read somewhere that David Austin himself, was not even trying to breed roses when he started; his first one was an accident. Over the years, he made it prretty clear that he was out to make money,I think. Again, I read somewhere that someone questioned his advice about spacing 3 of the same variety very close together and his cynical reply was: "would you rather sell just one plant to a customer, or three all at once?" The clincher for me was one year, in their catalogue, they stated that roses only live for about five years,and after that should be replaced.(I think they did have the decency to remove THAT, or else it was just too many customers protested). Now, I can't prove any of this, since it's stuff I gleaned over the years in my rose questing,but when I see their glossy catalogue and all the rest it just stikes me as snobby and false. It also does seem to me that the new varieties -from the photos at least-look more and more alike , there are always lots of yellow and pinks,beginning just to look a bit like a lot of cupcakes or something; the older varieties seem to have more character. Another thing that baffles me: one thing I did like about DA was the fact that they produced some nice deep,velvety purple-reds (Falstaff, Munstead Wood, The Prince, William Shakespeare, WS2000,etc).They don't seem to even try to do those any more. Now, some of these as plants might have had several defects, but that colour range is so rare and special in re-blooming roses that I feel that I, at least, would be willing to close an eye on the defects. In fact, even though I'm so anti-DA,I DO indeed toy with the idea of trying to get new plants of Falstaff, WS 2000, and maybe even The Prince, all of which I once had but failed to grow properly and had to sp. I still do have Tradescant, also from years ago-now that plant has been ignored completely by me for years, was mistreated in the beginning,as well-and yet last year I discovered it among the weeds-small, yes, but with those beautiful dark blooms,and in decent health, too. I dug it up, potted it (removing a cane that had gone own-root and potting that up seperately ). So for at least 10 years that plant has survived in good health with no real care-that is a good rose! but has been discontinued, of course. I plan to coddle mine along a bit in a pot (it looks great so far) until it's big enough, and then plant it out in my garden-this time in a better spot; it seems to deserve it. To be honest, I suspect that. since this company never was about the love of roses,by now they are gradually in the process of dropping all attempts to breed interesting, lovable, "real" roses, and will more and more aim towards developing -how shall it put it? -a new brand of "pseudo Knock-outs", because all they want is to make money. Now there is nothing per se wrong with Knock-outs and their ilk, but they can NOT take the place of "real" roses. So grab the real ones while they are still available....See More
summersrhythm_z6a
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agodaisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres thanked summersrhythm_z6a
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
5 years agodaisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres thanked ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agodaisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres thanked sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
5 years agodaisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres thanked sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)daisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres
5 years agoSheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
5 years agodaisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres thanked Sheila z8a Rogue Valley ORsultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agodaisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres thanked sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
Stephanie, 9b inland SoCal
5 years agodaisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres thanked Stephanie, 9b inland SoCaldaisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres
5 years agosultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoThank you :) I think SoF is pretty special.
I had this flower in a vase for several days. It holds up pretty well. Still fragrant too.
I took a photo of SoF next to Blue Girl (left) Sometimes my Blue Girls are more lavender and sometimes more typical greyish lavender, this one is more lavender not as greyish blue and looks close to the very aged SoF bloom.
SoF is also cool because the outer petals become more lavender as they age and the middle reverts to a lighter pink! Kinda like those DA wedding roses with the different shaded centers ♡ Look at that center, just layers and layers of petals. Its been unseasonably rainy and cool here lately and I havent had balling yet. I have had balling in my Earth Angel which is also very petal packed. Some of the EA blooms arent opening up at all whereas the SoF are..hmmm
The lighter pinkish rose on the right of SoF in this photo is Princess Charlene de Monaco..just for color comparison.
daisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres thanked sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
Plumeria Girl (Florida ,9b)
5 years agodaisyincrete Z10? 905feet/275 metres thanked Plumeria Girl (Florida ,9b)
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sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)