Welcome
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 have 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.
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). We do not ship in the spring. 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 pale 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
FUNNY FACE (Lim 2004) healthy shrub, pink splashed on cream
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
KIT DELAHANTY (Delahanty 2008) bright pink modern bourbon
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
MARTINE GUILLOT (Massad 1996) healthy shrub with pure white hybrid tea-like blooms
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) fragrant, large-hipped mauve rugosa
MORGENROT (Kordes 1985) startling bright red single-petaled compact shrub
NEW CENTURY (vanFleet 1900) very rare rugosa in shades of pink, no suckers
OSCAR PETERSON (AgCanada 2016) stunning white rugosa hybrid
PAUL NEYRON (Levet 1869) largest rose blooms imaginable, Neyron pink
PEARL DRIFT (LeGrice 1981) glistening blooms and foliage, wider than tall
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. PALUSTRIS the Swamp Rose, pink single, perfectly happy with wet feet
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
SOUVENIR DE McKINLEY (Godard 1902) powder pink, super rare HP X HT
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.
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
PHOTOGENIC stunning semi-double white with lipstick edge, climber/shrub
SUSAN SCHNEIDER shrub, brillant yellow-changing-to-red in sprays, many trophies
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 advise anyone interested in a particular cultivar to avoid delay.
ALBERT HOLDEN purple/white, best bicolor lilac, Fiala introduction
ANABEL pink, tall, earliest to bloom
AVALANCHE white, tall, Fiala introduction
BETSY ROSS white, bushy habit, early to bloom
BLUE EYES prolific single-petaled 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
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
MISS MILLIE double pale rose, tall, upright*
NARRAGANSETT lavender, fast-growing
P P KONCHALOVSKI big blue, Communist lilac
PAT PESATA pink/blue, compact, Fiala introduction
ST JOAN double white, elegant, compact, one of the rare Rowencroft lilacs
VICTOR LEMOINE heirloom double lavender
ZNAMYA LENINA (Banner of Lenin) breath-taking red-violet, Communist lilac
* - we are pleased to reintroduce this excellent cultivar created by Wayne Hughes, who operated The Lilac Farm in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania from about 1990 until his retirement in 2005.
Rose/lilac availability list updated 16 April 2019.