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!

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.

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?

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.....