Monday, October 31, 2011

MUTABILIS


Welcome to the World of Rose Gardening or Rose Gardening World.  Take time and smell the roses.  Roses have been around for millions of years which just prove that roses are not difficult to grow. The Rose is also our National Floral Emblem and the state flower of several states.  Here at Rose Gardening World, you’ll find rose articles that will educate you about roses – its history, rose culture, rose profiles and even rose verses all in one place.  So visit Rose Gardening World often.  

  Rosa chinensis (‘Mutabilis’, Tipo Ide’ale)


This China rose is believed to have been cultivated before 1894.  Mutabilis was probably introduced to Italy from China, and then introduced to commerce in 1934 by way of a Swiss botanist Henri Correvon of Geneva who got his cuttings from the garden of Italian Prince Ghilberto Borromeo at Isola Bella.  Otherwise known as the “Butterfly Rose” because when the plant is in full bloom with the multi-colored flowers, Mutabilis appears to be covered with butterflies fluttering on the plant, and this Hybrid China is so easy to spot. 

Mutabilis sports different colored blooms, ranging from soft yellow as it opens with an orange blush on the underside, slowly turning into shades of peach, then pink, then eventually darkest pinkish red.  All different colors can appear on the same bush at the same time.  Its blooms have a slight fragrance which disappears as it ages. 

Mutabilis is a single, five-petal rose.  The first blooms appear in clusters and continue through to hard frost.  It is slow to start but worth the wait.  The plant is versatile, vigorous, sending long canes with glossy, dark green leaves and can tolerate partial shade and thrives in poor soil.  I saw it covering a front porch in Charleston, South Carolina and the homeowner graciously moved his car out of the way so I could take a nice picture.  Mutabilis makes an excellent hedge, can be grown as a landscape accent or in mass planting.  In mild climates and protected locations, it can grow up to 6 to 10 ft tall and wide as a shrub and can be utilized as a climber and can grow up to 15 ft. in height.  Mutabilis is very popular because it’s very disease resistant.  It is no wonder Mutabilis has been selected as an EarthKind Rose.  It has won the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit in 1993. 



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