I’ve been growing Spirit of Freedom for about 5 years now, it’s a beautiful pink rose with sometimes huge blooms that are so large they look like they’re going to just burst and fall apart by the sheer number and size of its flowers and petals! The roses look like peonies or sometimes little cabbages, often times being deeply cupped. This rose has over 200 petals per bloom which is impressive and there is a moderate to rarely strong scent from time to time. It grows tall and is definitely a climber. I will say however like many of David Austin’s older rose varieties it’s not very disease resistant and can suffer from black spot, mildew and rust if not sprayed every so often in my climate. But it’s such a beautiful rose that I think it’s worth the extra bit of attention that’s needed!
This is truly a remarkable rose! It’s absolutely beautiful. It has a wonderful fragrance and such an interesting intricate appearance very much resembling peonies. The bush is very healthy and I have never had to spray it, it’s very disease resistant with semi glossy bright apple green foliage. I wouldn’t categorize this rose as a florist rose however, as it performs much more like a floribunda/climber often growing long octopus canes that can be pegged to a wall or trellis. My only complaint if you can call it that is this rose is SLOW to establish its-self as it is not a fast grower and will take a few years before it grows the medium sized peony shaped blooms that everyone desires it for. The first blooms I got on this rose were tiny and almost laughable - but give it time and it will reward the patient gardener with abundant and beautiful blooms for years to come! The color of the blooms also seem to be somewhat affected by the weather as well
So this is my 13th order with High Gardenroses and I bought it on a whim simply because it was such a beautiful color combination! I’ve seen mixed reviews about its growth habit online some saying it’s a bush, others saying it’s a climber - either way I’m happy they provide good descriptions on the roses they offer because as long as it’s fragrant and healthy I’m willing to work with it! The only size they had available at the time of purchase was their small size and I must say it is quite small! But I have high hopes for it and will see how it performs - looking forward to it
So I’ve been looking for this one to add to my garden for a while, it seems to be very popular and highly sought after as it always sells out before I get a chance to grab one. Upon discovering High Gardenroses website this year I was thrilled to see they grow and offer this variety. I shared this website with one or my best friends and she really like this rose - so I’d decided to order one for her as a Christmas gift. Hers was available sooner than mine as mine is still on pre-order. Thus was my first time ordering their small/med size and I’m very happy and am impressed with the size of the rose I ordered, I’m sure my friend will love it! I have yet to grow this rose in my garden but from what I’ve seen others say and their experiences with it this rose is bushy, prolific flowering, fragrant and healthy. The bloom it’s-self seems to be very old fashioned in nature, I have noticed thou many people saying the weather conditions upon which the buds develop HIGHLY influence the color of the flowers, seems like cooler weather brings out darker deeper purples and mauve colors while hotter weather will turn the blooms near pure white! Seems pretty exquisite to me I’d love to see the variations of colors this rose has to offer. This is my 15th purchase with High Garden and I look forward to their continued availability
Good size plant with 6 sturdy canes! Healthy and well packaged!! It dropped all its leaves and in no time budded out fully! It’s gonna be huge, I can tell by how fast it leaved out! Can’t wait to see the first bloom! Customer service is above and beyond. My delivery was set for 12/27 during Christmas time, and I asked if it can be sooner, they shipped it out right away and had it in my footstep within days. Prices are bit steep, but worth it for the quality, health and size of the plant! Happy!