Old Garden
Rosa Mundi
Pink/white striped · once-blooming · Zones 4-8
Old Garden Rose
Mutabilis
'Butterfly rose,' color-changing.
A multicolor member of the old garden & heirloom roses group, Mutabilis is grown for its long succession of blooms and its resilience in the garden. Below you'll find a full profile of Mutabilis — its characteristics, how to grow it, where to use it in the garden, and answers to the questions gardeners ask most.
About Mutabilis
As one of the old garden & heirloom roses, Mutabilis carries the traits gardeners look for in the group — full, many-petaled blooms, often quartered or cupped. Prized for depth of fragrance and full, romantic form, the old garden roses carry a character that many modern roses cannot match.
In flower, Mutabilis is multicolor and fills the plant with bloom in wave after wave, carrying a light, pleasant fragrance. It is hardy across USDA zones 6-9, so it suits a wide range of gardens with the right seasonal care.
Characteristics and form
Mutabilis makes an arching, informal shrub in most classes, typically around 3 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide. The blooms are full, many-petaled blooms, often quartered or cupped, medium to large in size, set against often matte green foliage. Knowing a rose's habit and mature size is the key to placing it well: give Mutabilis room to reach its full spread without crowding its neighbors, which also keeps air moving through the plant and disease at bay.
How to grow Mutabilis
Plant Mutabilis where it will get at least six hours of direct sun a day in fertile, well-drained soil with good air movement around it. In cold climates, set the graft union — the swollen knob where the variety joins the rootstock — at or just below the soil line; in mild climates, keep it at soil level. Once planted, water deeply and less often to encourage deep, drought-resistant roots.
- Light: Full sun, six hours or more; morning sun is best because it dries dew early and limits disease.
- Soil: Rich and well-drained, slightly acidic at about pH 6.0–6.5. Improve heavy or sandy soil with plenty of compost before planting.
- Water: Deep, infrequent soakings at the base rather than frequent light sprinkling; more in heat, sandy soil, or containers.
- Feeding: A balanced rose fertilizer in early spring, repeated after the first flush to fuel the next.
- Pruning: Prune it in late winter to an open, outward-facing framework, then deadhead through the season.
Bloom habit: Repeat (recurrent). Mutabilis blooms in repeated flushes from late spring until the first frost. Deadhead spent flowers to bring on the next wave.
Where to use Mutabilis in the garden
Mutabilis suits heritage and cottage borders, fragrant gardens, and specimen shrubs. It is at home in a romantic, informal planting with other old roses and cottage perennials. For more ideas, see our guide to companion plants for roses.
Common problems and care
Grow it with good air flow; many old roses are robust and famously long-lived. Watch for the usual rose troubles — black spot, powdery mildew, and aphids — and head them off with good air flow, base watering, and a tidy autumn clean-up. See our full guide to rose diseases and pests for identification and treatment.
Mutabilis — frequently asked questions
How big does Mutabilis get?
Mutabilis typically grows about 3 to 6 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide, forming a an arching, informal shrub in most classes. Its final size depends on your climate and how you prune it.
Is Mutabilis fragrant?
Mutabilis has a light, pleasant fragrance; it is grown more for its multicolor color and habit than for perfume.
Does Mutabilis bloom more than once a season?
Yes. Mutabilis is a repeat-blooming rose that blooms in repeated flushes from late spring until the first frost, especially if it is deadheaded and fed through the summer.
What hardiness zones does Mutabilis grow in?
Mutabilis is hardy in USDA zones 6-9. That range describes the winter cold it can survive; gardeners colder than zone 6 should give it winter protection or grow it in a movable container.
Is Mutabilis easy to grow?
Grow it with good air flow; many old roses are robust and famously long-lived. Give Mutabilis full sun, well-drained soil, and the ordinary seasonal care any rose appreciates, and it is a straightforward rose to grow.
How and when should I prune Mutabilis?
Prune Mutabilis in late winter to an open, outward-facing framework, then deadhead through the season — see our step-by-step guide to pruning roses for the full method.