The more I know of the shrub rose, Rosa ‘Mutabilis’, the more I believe it is a metaphor for life. Think of it–the tightly furled buds are a saucy peach shade that speaks of the flirtatiousness of youth. Those racy young things open into sensible pink blooms, in a bow to the combination of vigor and respectability that epitomizes the prime of life. In old age, those same flowers ripen to a glorious, rich rose color, symbolizing the depth of experience that comes with a life well lived.
Metaphors are great and glorious things, but what if you just want a first-rate garden plant?
‘Mutabilis’ is truly marvelous in and of itself. The shrubs rise from three to six feet tall, depending on the climate, with wine-red young stems. They are among the first to bloom in spring and continue to offer up flowers until hard frost in the fall. Because of their changeable nature, every shrub features all three flower colors at the same time, in a constantly changing array. Fastidious gardeners cherish ‘Mutabilis’ because the rose is self-cleaning. Instead of turning brown and disgusting before leaving the scene, ‘Mutabilis’ petals simply fall gracefully from the plants, leaving nothing but pretty memories.
People used to the many-petaled hybrid teas that defined mid-century American gardens may not be impressed with ‘Mutabilis’, nor will lovers of the sumptuous old roses with flowerheads so lush that they seem to explode from the bushes. ‘Mutabilis, which is sometimes also called ‘Butterfly Rose’ or ‘Tipo Ideal’—‘Ideal Type’–in English, is simpler and more subtle. The flowers appear in the five-petaled configuration of the wild roses from which they descended, with a scent that is light and elusive. Known in the west since 1894, the variety has been grown in China for much longer and is often grouped with the ancient Chinese roses that are the ancestors of most modern rose varieties.
I sometimes refer to it simply as “the Chinese rose”. Whatever you call it, the flowers justify the butterfly nickname, appearing as if they had multi-colored wings. If the blooms take flight and touch down in cut flower arrangements, they last reasonably well, as long as you clip them while still in bud.
In yet another life metaphor, my ‘Mutabilis’ has survived some tough experiences. It is probably about fifteen years old. At times, with cooperative weather, it has soared to great heights and produced hundreds of blooms over long growing seasons. A few years ago, however, a particularly hard winter killed off many of the canes and I feared for the shrub’s survival. When I looked closely, I saw that some slender canes survived the wind and temperature onslaught and leafed out on schedule. A massive pruning effort took care of the dead appendages, allowing the living ones a little more air and sunshine. ‘Mutabilis’ lived to bloom another day and now a more compact bush seems ready to conquer the garden once more.
‘Mutabilis’ has a completely carefree nature, which has made it a favorite of rosarians at botanical gardens and other institutions. I saw one blooming in great profusion at the fashionable High Line in New York City. It was one of the few roses included in that singular landscape and fit well with the naturalistic planting scheme. The butterfly rose has also landed in the civilized and beautiful confines of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. ‘Mutabilis’ is part of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s “EarthKind” program, which evaluates rose cultivars for disease resistance, ease of culture and hardiness under a variety of growing situations. In 2005, the “Earth-Kind” experts named the shrub “Rose of the Year”. It has also won many other accolades.
If you have a bit of sunny space, you should have Rosa mutabilis. In fact, if you only grow one rose variety, ‘Mutabilis’ should be it. Forget ‘Knock-Out’; ‘Mutabilis’ has ten times the charm. Buy it, plant it, water it regularly until it is established and then just watch it bloom, over and over again. You can even grow the shrub in a very large container if your sunny space is covered with concrete, decking or other non-rose-friendly material.
Not all metaphors bring as much joy as the ones embodied by Rosa mutabilis. Get yours at Chamblee’s Rose Nursery, 10926 U.S. Highway 69 North, Tyler, TX 75706-5933; (800) 256-7673; www. Chambleesroses.com. The free paper catalog contains a selected listing of rose offerings.