All of a sudden, the rose Mutabilis was in front of me. Startled, I took a step back. The whole bush was in bloom! It was covered from head to toe with colorful, open blooms. Just yesterday it only had buds. But today - BAM - full bloom!!!! And what a sight to see!
Mutabilis is known as the Butterfly Rose. It has open, delicate blossoms that change color from apricot to pink, then rose, then mauve. Many times you will see individual blooms with multiple colors on the petals!
It will grow large - mine is over 5 ft tall, and I have it in a corner where it can grow as large as it wishes. In fact, in the South, it is sometimes seen pruned into a small tree. To give you an idea of how fast Mutabilis grows, I've probably had mine in the ground about 3 years. I expect it to grow to around 10 ft. at maturity.
Not only is this rose beautiful, but Mutabilis is an easy rose to grow. Grown in zones 7 to 10, I only worry about it when it gets too cold. But so far, it has not been damaged by the freezes we have had.
Another great asset of Mutabilis is that it is evergreen. If you are located in the right zones, I highly recommend this rose. If you want, place it in a corner where you will be slapped in the face by its beauty as you walk by!
This post is being linked to Cottage Flora Thursdays. Have a look there at what's blooming in other gardener's gardens!
Beautiful! Darn, that's one we can't grow here. How neat to find such a beautiful surprise after turning the corner. :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, gorgeous! You captured its mutable colors perfectly. I am sorry for you though - being slapped in the face by Mutabilis must have hurt:(.
ReplyDeleteFinding a surprise in the garden is one of my favorite things. How fun!
ReplyDeleteYep, there is one of these blooming about 2 blocks away from me, and he's about 15 feet tall I'd say. Not unruly though, some how. Just a rose tree, the natural way.
ReplyDeleteI love Mutabilis, but unfortunately she croaked on me last year. I always get bummed out losing a plant, especially roses. Yours is a beautiful specimen.
ReplyDeleteFlowerLady
PlantPostings - So sorry you can't grow this beautiful rose. It is common here - even in some traffic medians!
ReplyDeleteMasha - For once, I wasn't hurt! Mostly startled. It's funny how you can get lost in looking at the little thing you forget big things are around the corner!
Cynthia - I am always surprised when things look pretty in my garden! :)
Jess - That's exactly right. Big, but like you say, not unruly, just natural.
FlowerLady - I'm sorry you lost yours! I hate losing plants, too. It's frustrating because we put so much care into them.
My newly planted (8" tall - overwintered in a pot) - Mutabilis is blooming! It is a great rose.
ReplyDeleteHi Holley - This Mutabilis sure is a beauty!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is such an inspiration to me and one of the reasons i decided to give roses a try! I can't wait for my iceberg to bloom so I can show it to you. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge with newbie-me!
Regards, Christine xxx
That is one lovely rose bush. I love the different colors it exhibits. Unfortunately not zone appropriate here. Don't know how I could fit it in anyway.
ReplyDeleteCher
Goldenray Yorkies
Not here either. It really is a pretty shrub. The color change is so different.
ReplyDeleteYour 'Mutablis' rose looks b e a u t i f u l !!! I like that this rose is so fully clothed in foliage. The combination of 'Mutablis' together with what seems to be catmint and the irises is very nice!
ReplyDeleteChristina
I love the soft, delicate petals! You're so lucky to have space and sun for all your beautiful roses. I added 5 bushes since last spring and I am THRILLED to have roses this year. I tried to select varieties that would stay small and could tolerate some shade. So far so good!
ReplyDeleteTufa Girl - Good luck on your Mutabilis. You will love her!
ReplyDeleteChristine - That is one of the best compliments I could ever have! I will be looking for your Iceberg bloom post. It is a great rose and I hope it does well for you.
Cher - Yes, it does require some room! I love the way it changes colors, too. Very different.
GWGT - Sorry you can't grow this rose. Unfortunately for you, there are a lot of roses that can't take the cold.
Christina - Yes, and the foliage is clean. It's also thornless - forgot to mention that! Very good - it is catmint.
Cat - Good going on researching your roses first. A very smart thing to do. I think roses just complete the garden.
Every evening, with or without a glass of wine, I do what I call my "crop inspection". I walk around the whole garden and look at every plant to see what it is doing. It is my favorite thing I do all day. Do you know anything about Rosa glauca and how it should be pruned? If so, would you leave a message on Blotanical? Thanks, Carolyn
ReplyDeleteWow--really gorgeous! I love how quickly things happen this time of year--even though you've been watching the buds, it's still a surprise when they turn into actual flowers.
ReplyDeleteDear Holley, What a truly beautiful surprise to find those lovely blooms! How I wish that beauty would grow in zone 5. P x
ReplyDeleteCarolyn - "Crop inspection" - :) I love looking at everything too. So much changes in just one day! I will leave a message on Blotanical. As it is a once-blooming rose, you would prune it after it blooms.
ReplyDeleteStacy - It is amazing how one day things will look like it will take some time, then the next - done! I'm always surprised by my garden.
Pam - Zone 5 is not an easy zone for many roses. Too bad - you would love this rose with it's blooms that would fit perfectly into a cottage garden.
Mutabilis is such a beautiful rose, but I think it needs a big space too, which I really don't have.Except out in deerland.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely rose for sure! I live in zone 4, so no chance I can grow it, but such a pleasure to see it in bloom.
ReplyDeleteVisiting from Fishtail Cottage.
Lancashire rose - Out in deerland! That wouldn't do! And yes, it does need a big space. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDeleteJune - Glad you stopped by. There are a lot of plants I admire from afar, too.
Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving your nice comment. I am now following you. I have placed you on my blogroll because I know that I will want to return to your lovely blog many times for inspiration. Your gardens are so beautiful. I am just getting started since retiring. I know what you mean about wanting the Latin name of your plants. I am not a certified Latin teacher, but I did teach Latin to the students in my elementary school for several years. So I'm always wanting to know the Latin name of my plants, too.
ReplyDeleteJane - Thanks so much for the compliment! I am impressed you actually know Latin and have taught it! I think it would be a very interesting language to study. So many of our words have their roots in Latin. And yes, I like to know the plant's "real" name!
ReplyDeleteOh my! i wish i could walk around the corner and find that in bloom! loving the different colors that are shown on the roses - ranging from creamy whites, oranges, pinks! So pretty! Thanks for linkin up to Cottage Flora Thursday's last week & can't wait to see what you share this week! I'll have the garden party link up later this evening! xoxo, tracie
ReplyDeleteTracie - It was a wonderful surprise. I love this rose because it's so unique with its blooms that change colors. Thanks for the invite.
ReplyDeleteI love Mutabilis! This roses grows BIG in AL. I have seen them 8'x6' here!
ReplyDeleteRedneck Rosarian - Yes, when I put it in the corner, it looked so small. People raised their eyebrows in disbelief when I told them it would fill that corner space up completely!
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