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.
