Freiland rose

For anyone who likes working with sustainable natural products, the Freiland rose is an interesting product. This rose is grown in the open air. Notable characteristics of this rose are that it is usually richly scented and has a distinctive nostalgic flower shape. We would like to tell you more about this unusual rose.

Origin of the Freiland rose
Literally translated from German, Freiland means ‘open land’. Freiland roses are therefore grown on open land. Rose bushes are planted in nature, and with little support they grow into adult plants from which new roses can be harvested every eight weeks. They are harvested over the period from May to October. Outside this period the weather is too harsh for Freiland roses, and the quality deteriorates.

Exclusively available
Freiland roses are only sold in Germany. It is therefore difficult for a wholesaler in the Netherlands to include these roses in its range. Thanks to our rose buyer Marco’s good connections, we nonetheless regularly manage to get hold of this remarkable rose and you can find it in our shop.

Cultivation process
In growing Freiland roses, nature does most of the work. Some growers use a watering system in order to be able to guarantee quality during long periods of drought, but the plants mainly consume rainwater. The presence of mountains and the resultant climate in Germany are very important and beneficial for growing Freiland roses. These mountains provide protection against wind and bright sunlight, amongst other things.

Because the rose bushes need to regrow for eight weeks after the roses have been harvested, it is not possible to continuously offer a particular type of Freiland roses. Generally speaking, growers harvest roses from a variety that can be sold for two weeks. After that, it’s another six weeks before that specific variety can be offered again, because the plant needs to regrow. The cultivation of Freiland roses can therefore not be standardised.

Some growers only cut back half the stem on the rose bush, which means that they generally offer shorter stems, but the plant does regrow faster.

Biggest challenge
Because Freiland roses are so dependent on nature, it is not always possible to harvest perfect roses. Most growers check the quality very carefully during the harvesting, sorting and packing process. Because not all growers are scrupulous about this, there is always the possibility that the petals will be dirty or the outer petals need to be removed in order to enjoy the true beauty.

Natural product
In order to be able to ensure the best possible quality and prevent diseases, only natural pest control is used. Pest control is one of the few activities that is carried out, which means nature is in charge as much as possible.

Some growers only cut back half the stem on the rose bush, which means that they generally offer shorter stems, but the plant does regrow faster.

Blog about German Freiland rose growers
Because we think that the cultivation of Freiland roses is so remarkable, we went to visit two Freiland growers. Marketing executive Macy and rose buyer Marco would love to share their trip to visit the Freiland growers in Germany with you.