Gardening Plant Encyclopedia Roses Butterfly Rose By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on July 25, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Although your garden visitors may not believe you, this horticultural kaleidoscope is only one rosebush — even though it blooms in three colors and varying shades thereof all at once. New foliage and bud sheaths are a coppery-bronze, and the established foliage is clean green and shiny to boot. And adaptability? The butterfly rose is disease-resistant, shrugs off humidity, and grows taller the more shelter it is given. This arching shrub is at its best covering a wall or tall fence, with its splayed, wrinkled petals flitting in a soft breeze. Spiffy, huh? That said, one proviso — this is most certainly not the hardiest rose in the galaxy. Mutabilis is almost exclusively a southern or western beauty. Here's how the petal coloring works: At first a vivid orange, the buds open to a honey yellow, then the next day, after pollination, they become pale pink, deepening in the following day or two to nearly crimson. Butterfly Rose Overview Genus Name Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis' Common Name Butterfly Rose Plant Type Rose, Shrub Light Sun Height 3 to 8 feet Width null to 4 feet Flower Color Orange, Pink, Red, Yellow Foliage Color Blue/Green Season Features Spring Bloom, Summer Bloom Special Features Attracts Birds, Cut Flowers, Fragrance Zones 6, 7, 8, 9 Propagation Stem Cuttings Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit