I would like more information on Rosa chinensis ‘Mutabilis’,
particularly regarding how it performs in a Seattle garden. I am most
concerned about black spot and any other diseases.
I am currently growing this rose for the first time, and it is blooming
profusely. I have needed to keep on top of the aphids (hand-squishing),
and there are a few yellowed leaves which drop (and which I have been
picking up and destroying as soon as I see them). Here is what the book
Roses for the Pacific Northwest by Christine Allen (Steller Press, 1999)
has to say about this rose:
Few old roses flower so continuously–cold weather merely turns the buds
a paler hue and, although they don’t then open, they remain fresh-looking
on the bush for weeks. It hates cold wind, but will take a surprising
amount of shade, forming an open, leafy shrub with soft red stems and
red-tinged foliage, impervious to disease.
I would not go as far as to say it is impervious to disease,
but my impression is that it is relatively disease-resistant. I am truly
enjoying the look and fragrance of this rose in my garden. Links to additional information:
An article by Valerie Easton in the Seattle Times