The ‘mutabilis’ rose in my front garden is absolutely smothered in multicoloured butterfly-like blooms.
‘Mutabilis’ is a typical cultivar of rosa chinensis in that its blooms darken with age rather than fading.
The orange-coral buds open in the morning to reveal silken petals of the palest apricot radiating from golden stamens.
As the sun moves across the sky the petals are gradually suffused with a pink colour
which gets hotter as the day wears on.
The flowers finish the day raspberry coloured, contrasting prettily with the iridescent orange buds that will open in the morning.