SInce Mutabilis is a china rose, and accd to HMF only cold hardy to zone 7B, I agree that you would have to grow it in a pot, and put it in a garage or other indoor place in the Winter (unless you have a heated greenhouse).

I presume that is what mad_gallica does, and the description of how it grows in those circumstances is above. Here in CA in the ground it can get huge, and does put out big flushes, but you would be growing it under unnatural circumstances for it in a pot in a cold climate. I would be more inclined to grow a rose that thrived in my local climate.

Jackie

I rooted cuttings of Mutabilis in June of 2012 and it spent it's first winter in my little greenhouse in a one gallon pot. It came out in April of 2013 green to the tips and growing. It grew amazingly fast last summer and by July was in a full size pot. It does bloom the way Mad says, no big flushes but a bloom here and a bloom there. It blooms nearly constantly though so there is almost always a few blooms on it. The plant itself is so light and airy that even without blooms it's lovely. Because it went into a regular pot it's spending this winter in the regular winterized pot ghetto with the rest. I can't tell how it's fairing out there yet because it's still snowing here...another 6 inches today..and they're buried in leaves and snow. I also got Archduke Charles and Duchess de Brabant last spring and they're out there too. It will probably be at least a month or more before I'll know if they made it or not. I figure if they survive this winter from hell they can survive anything!

I treat it less like a rose and more like a tall perennial - looks good with umbellifers, grasses and other asterceae types . Some of the smaller integrifolia clems scramble around in the very open framework (I keep it pruned to remove little twiggy canes, keeping 3 or 4 upright canes)

Thank you all. An invaluable source of information. I just hope that I will someday get to the point where I will have enough knowledge to help others too.

I did look this rose up on HMF and noted that it was considered tender. Oddly enough it is in a book I purchased called Roses for Ontario. Also, it is sold at Pickering Nurseries. In the comments at the Pickering site, one person says it needs winter protection and another one in zone5 states that it wintered well with only snow for protection? Out of all this conflicting info I get that it is probably marginal in my area in a very sheltered spot and probably won't give the display I was looking for anyway in my zone. I was wanting a nice big graceful bush of dainty flowers.

Seil, I notice that you winter pots over in a small greenhouse that you have leaning against your house. I hope you will keep us up to date on their condition after this terribly cold winter and I am wishing you luck. I too would like to try a few containers but am at a loss as to where to keep them over winter. We have unheated outbuildings but I think they would get way too cold and in the basement is probably not cold enough. Anyway, thank you for your input.

Sue

Sue, the only pots that go into the greenhouse are the seedlings and first year rooted cuttings. All the other pots winters outside against the back wall of the house packed in leaves and wrapped in burlap.

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Seil, I think this might be something I could do. We have an open brick wall on the south side and it gets lots of snow, especially this year. Let us all know how your containers overwintered.

Sue