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Open Garden Days

Three Sundays in June

9, 16 and 23 June 2019

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Everyone is cordially invited to Freedom Gardens' 22nd Annual Open Gardens, Sundays

9, 16 and 23 June 2019, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. each day, at the homestead of Susan and Peter Schneider, 6193 Vair Road, Freedom Township, Portage County, Ohio.

Our collection of over 1200 different roses features newer and hard-to-find hybrid teas, floribundas, climbers and shrubs from the European nurseries, and heritage roses imported from Andre Eve in France, Peter Beales in England, and Martin Weingart, the nurseryman near the Sangerhausen Rosarium in Germany.  Many of these roses cannot be seen anywhere else between Europe and California.

All of our roses are grown without winter protection, which provides an excellent opportunity to see exactly which varieties are winter hardy in northern Ohio.

We grow nearly complete collections of Paul Jerabek's Ohio-bred creations, the Canadian Explorer roses, and David Austin's English roses.  We've rescued dozens of heirloom roses from the much lamented and now destroyed Gardens of Roses of Legend and Romance at Secrest Arboretum in Wooster, Ohio. Freedom Gardens now has what may be America's largest collection of hybrid perpetuals, the voluptuous, fragrant roses which defined the Victorian era. Our rose garden has been featured in Horticulture and Ohio magazines and its story is told in Peter Schneider's most recent book, Right Rose, Right Place which Peter will of course be happy to sign during the Open Gardens.

We also have a growing collection of noteworthy trees, an orchard, lily ponds, many other plants and a multitude of song birds situated on a bucolic eight-acre setting.

An interesting selection of potted roses, all propagated at Freedom Gardens, will also be offered for sale on a first-come, first-serve basis. Most of these roses are not available anywhere else. We feature the best of Paul Jerabek's introductions and include an eclectic selection of winter-hardy roses from all classifications: heritage roses, rugosas, climbers,  true species and modern roses that have proven themselves in this climate.

Once again this year, by popular demand, we will also be offering a selection of rare and choice lilacs propagated from our collection of nearly 100 correctly named cultivars.

We'll be open rain or shine (no rain dates). Children and picnickers are welcome. Please do not smoke in our garden. There is no admission charge and no need to make a reservation.

We look forward to seeing lots of rose friends on 9, 16 and 23 June!

The map below is more helpful than these things used to be, but still not perfect. Main thing: from State Route 88 take King Road south until it ends at Vair Road. Turn left, and we are 1000' (and fourth driveway) on your left. [Last year one of our neighbors paved their driveway and now Google thinks it is a road.  It is not a road and will not lead you to our garden. After turning on to Vair count the driveways to your left, paved or otherwise.  We are the 4th one.]

[There is indeed a "Ravenna Arsenal Street" but we as civilians have no access to it.]

Important note: These are the only three days on which our garden is open without an appointment.

New Crop of Roses for 2019

We have an exciting new crop of roses to offer this year, including:

• New disease-proof hybrid tea, floribunda and shrub roses imported from Europe
  
• An unprecedented selection of winter-hardy climbing roses, including Lucy Irene, the lovely light pink sport of William Baffin
  
• Outstanding examples of early hybridizing with species roses, including the long-requested winter-hardy rarities Schloss Seussitz and Thusnelda
  
• Rare hybrid perpetuals, including Ardoisee de Lyon, Black Prince and Caroline de Sansal (and that's just A, B and C...)
  
• and all of the fun striped, purple, brown, and novel-but-tough roses you expect at Freedom Gardens
  

Roses from this New Crop cannot be reserved or purchased in advance but are available to everyone on an equal basis--first come, first serve--during our Open Garden  Days.

Roses that can be purchased now

The roses listed below can be purchased now for pick-up during our Open Garden Days in June 2019 (or later by appointment).  To purchase any of these plants please call Peter on 330.296.2618 or use the contact form on this website to confirm availability.  We accept cash, checks, PayPal, all major credit cards and Euros.

Hard-to-Find Roses For Sale

Own-root roses propagated at Freedom Gardens. 1-gallon pots. $25 each.

ANNE HARKNESS (Harkness 1980) tall floribunda, huge sprays of caramel blooms

ANTIKE (Kordes 1988) crimson and cream with Old Garden form, climber or large shrub

BANSHEE (c. 1773?) super tough light pink Old Garden Rose

BELLA DONNA (<1844) pink fragrant damask, very long spring bloom

BELLE ROSINE (Vibert 1829) dark pink gallica, well-formed blooms last when cut

BLUSH HIP (1840) tender pink on a tough plant, the alba that acts like a gallica

BLUSHING LUCY (Williams 1938) healthy, glossy-leaved palest pink rambler; some repeat

CAPTAIN THOMAS (Thomas 1935) spectacular single-petaled yellow climbing hybrid tea

CHARLES DE MILLS (<1746) gallica, what they called red back then, plant and stand back

COMPLICATA (Vibert 1835) gallica hybrid, simply one of the most beautiful single-petaleds

CONSTANCE SPRY (1961) large pink shrub; the original David Austin English rose

ELINA (Dickson 1984) best yellow hybrid tea for northern Ohio

EVEREST DOUBLE FRAGRANCE (Beales 1980) free-blooming cream floribunda

FAIR BIANCA (Austin 1983) classic floribunda-like white English rose

FRANCE DE BERVILLE (Eve 2001) lovely cherry red nitida hybrid, a gardener's rose

GALLICANDY (Barden 2003) bubblegum pink, profuse, modern gallica

GRANNY GRIMMETTS (re-int 1955) free-blooming, fragrant deep red hybrid perpetual

GREETINGS (Zary 1999) magenta/silver compact shrub, healthy and always in bloom

HART CRANE (Schneider 2010) purple single-petaled rugosa, a top exhibition classic shrub

HEINRICH KARSCH (Leenders 1927) cute, prolific mauve polyantha

ILLUSION (Kordes 1961) classic heavy-blooming red Kordesii climber

INDIGO (Laffay 1830) compact constant-blooming purple Portland

JAMES MASON (Beales 1982) blood red modern gallica for hedge or back of border

JOHN DAVIS (Svejda 1986) camellia pink Kordesii, cold and drought resistant

KEAN (1820?) purple pink gallica, recommended to all who dislike complicated OGR names

LA FRANCE (Guillot 1867) light pink, the original hybrid tea, still vigorous and fragrant

LIONS INTERNATIONAL (Fryer 1998) free-blooming bright yellow hybrid tea

LOUIS VAN TYLE (<1846) opulent lavender pink gallica, wider than tall

MECENE (Vibert 1845) compact gallica, white stripes running out of deep pink petals

MEIN SCHONER GARTEN (Kordes 1997) tall, healthy, pure pink shrub

MISS EDITH CAVELL  (deRuiter 1917) historic dark red polyantha

MOJE HAMMARBERG (Hammarberg 1931) mauve rugosa, best Swedish rose

MORGENROT (Kordes 1985) startling bright red single-petaled compact shrub

NEW CENTURY (vanFleet 1900) very rare rugosa in shades of pink, no suckers

PAUL NEYRON (Levet 1869) largest rose blooms imaginable, Neyron pink     NOTE: THIS IS THE AUTHENTIC 'PAUL NEYRON' AND NOT THE ODD, MODERN, UNSCENTED ROSE BEING SOLD UNDER THIS NAME BY A BIG BOX STORE THIS SPRING

PINK PAVEMENT  (Baum 1991) rugged deep pink hybrid rugosa

PINK ROADRUNNER (Uhll 2003) vigorous bright pink hybrid rugosa

PINK ROBIN (Lens 1992) rare R. helenae hybrid, tall and profuse

PINK SURPRISE (Lens 1987) saucer-size single-petaled light pink blooms

PRAIRIE JOY (Collicutt 1990) very healthy clear pink upright shrub

R. ARKANSANA 'PEPPERMINT' pink dapples and stripes, top exhibition species

R. EGLANTERIA the Sweetbriar Rose, foliage scented of green apples

R. VIRGINIANA robust single-petaled pink, native to Ohio as well as Virginia

ROSE DE RESCHT (re-int 1940s) intensely fragrant deep pink, always in bloom

SHOGUN (Tantau 2000) climber with elegant cherry red/pale gold blooms

SOUVENIR DE LA REINE DE ANGLETERRE (Cochet 1855) warm pink HP

SWEET BOUQUET (Lens 1984) palest pink double hybrid musk, profuse

THERESE BUGNET (Bugnet 1950) fragrant, very double indestructible rugosa

WALFERDANGE (Lens 1992) superior pink and cream double hybrid musk

WICHMOSS (Barbier 1911) the iconic mossed rambler, light pink, now quite rare

WILLIAM BAFFIN (Svejda 1983) pink; most winter hardy repeating climber

WILLIAM LOBB (Laffay 1855) velvety crimson-mauve moss rose

This year we have also propagated the rose we received from Martin Weingart, the nurseryman near the Sangerhausen Rosarium in Germany as MAGENTA, a 1916 Barbier polyantha. It is not that rose, nor is it the 1954 Kordes floribunda/shrub 'Magenta' or any of the Magentas after that. It is a vigorous, very winter-hardy, well-clothed rambler reaching 9' for us and covered top to bottom in clusters of large, very full, fragrant magenta/mauve blooms for nearly a month each spring. Many visitors have admired and asked about it, and we have finally decided to offer it despite not knowing its true original name.

Paul Jerabek Introductions For Sale

Own-root roses propagated at Freedom Gardens. 1-gallon pots. $20 each.

AUNT RUTH strawberry/cream semi-double climber, trophies at national shows SOLD OUT

BROWN STUDY novelty brown-orange floribunda SOLD OUT

CHATEAU DE VAIR 93 exuberant cerise/white polyantha, trophies at district shows

CONNIE pure yellow semi-double miniature, almost always in bloom

OUR PEARL vigorous climber, white with pink edge

PAUL JERABEK superb white/pink, Paul's best climber SOLD OUT

PHOTOGENIC stunning semi-double white with lipstick edge, climber/shrub

SUSAN SCHNEIDER  shrub, brillant yellow-changing-to-red in sprays, many trophies SOLD OUT

SUSAN'S SISTER more intense colors on a shorter floribunda plant, sprays are smaller

ZENAITTA superb orange-red polyantha for exhibition and garden

We feature Paul Jerabek's roses but also have an excellent selection of modern hybrid teas, floribundas and shrubs from other rose breeders--all proven winter hardy in this climate--on our $20 sale tables.

Custom Propagation
We offer custom propagation of hard-to-find roses for patient rosarians.  Most roses are propagated on their own roots; a few that resist striking on their own are budded onto R. multiflora understock.  In most cases this takes 12-18 months but sometimes it can take longer. We can propagate any rose that is not under current patent or trademark.  Most people visit during our Open Garden Days in June to choose what they would like to have propagated from our vast collection of hard-to-find roses.  We note roses unique to our nursery in the Combined Rose List.  And gardeners often want us to propagate an unknown but loved family heirloom rose.  In all cases custom propagation is $25 per plant, payable when the order is placed. We can only propagate a finite number of roses each year, and early ordering is always recommended.

Rare and Choice Lilacs For Sale

Own-root lilacs propagated at Freedom Gardens. 1-, 3- and 5-gallon pots. $25 each.

Our 2019 crop of lilacs will be released at 10:00 am on Sunday, 9 June 2019, our first Open Garden Day. All are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. We completely sold out of lilacs last year and encourage anyone interested in a particular cultivar to avoid delay.

ALBERT HOLDEN purple/white, best bicolor lilac, Fiala introduction

AMI SCHOTT heirloom double blue

ANABEL pink, tall, earliest to bloom

AVALANCHE white, tall, Fiala introduction

BETSY ROSS white, bushy habit, early to bloom

BLUE EYES prolific single-petaled sky blue, raised by Susan Schneider

CROIX DE BRAHY heirloom pink, wide habit

FERNAND PEGOT magenta, rarely in commerce

FRANK'S FANCY striking modern dark purple

IVORY SILK shapely tree, blooms late and long

KINGSVILLE blue, free-blooming

KOSMOS stunning purple, Communist lilac

LOIS UTLEY pink/lavender, Fiala introduction

MAIDEN'S BLUSH pink, healthy, early to bloom

MARECHAL FOCH heirloom reddish-pink

McMASTER CENTENNIAL huge white panicles

MISS MILLIE double bright rose, tall, upright*

NADEZHDA double blue/mauve, Communist lilac

NARRAGANSETT lavender, fast-growing

P P KONCHALOVSKI big blue, Communist lilac

PAT PESATA pink/blue, compact, Fiala introduction

PAUL THIRION heirloom double magenta/purple

REDWINE magenta, bushy, late-blooming prestonia

ST JOAN double white, elegant, compact, one of the rare Rowancroft lilacs

VICTOR LEMOINE heirloom double lavender

YANKEE DOODLE soft violet, free-blooming, Fiala

ZNAMYA LENINA (Banner of Lenin) breath-taking red-violet, Communist lilac

COMMUNIST LILAC = the stunning introductions of the Soviet Union's Leonid Kolesnikov. Many have names such as Banner of Lenin or Communist Youth League, or honor heroes of the Revolution.

FIALA INTRODUCTION = the creations of Father John L. Fiala, the renowned lilac-hybridizing priest of Medina, Ohio.

* - we are pleased to re-introduce this excellent cultivar created by Wayne Hughes, proprietor of The Lilac Farm in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania for about fifteen years until his retirement in 2005.

...and one rescued lilac

"BILTZ"

Vigorous, healthy growth to 9'. Blooms top to bottom for a long time, bright purple fading to violet. Large florets in impressive panicles. Some flowers have 5 or 6 petals instead of the usual 4; petals twist at final stage of opening. Fragrance is pure but not as overwhelming as from some vulgaris hybrids. One of the most impressive lilacs in our collection, and despite visits to the Holden Arboretum, Royal Botanical Gardens (Burlington, Ontario) and Highland Park (Rochester, New York) we have not been able to discover its original name.  Rescued from the Biltz homestead on Lynn Road in Rootstown, Ohio.

Rose/lilac availability list updated 24 May 2019.

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