Bangkok rose

These charming shrubs and climbers shine in tropical and subtropical gardens, thanks to their show-stopping ‘blooms’, writes

My first sighting of a Bangkok rose, at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha, had me confounded. The gorgeous shrub covered in large pinky-white blooms looked suspiciously like a dogwood, but what was a cold-climate plant doing thriving in subtropical Brisbane? I scouted around to find the label and discovered it was a species of Mussaenda with the common name Bangkok rose. Of course, they’re not true roses, but these charming shrubs are worth growing, no matter what you call them.

Mussaendas are a group of more than 100 species of evergreen to deciduous shrubs and climbers originating mainly from tropical Asia and Africa. They produce clusters of small, star-shaped white, yellow or orange blooms at the ends of branches. While the flowers aren’t much to write home about, it’s the enlarged sepals at the base of the blooms, in white and shades of pink, salmon or red, that catch the eye. Normally, sepals are the uninteresting green, leaf-like things that cover flowers before they open, such as the outer layer of a rose bud. Mussaenda sepals are so large and colourful, however, they outshine the true flowers and turn these shrubs into rock stars.

They also have a long flowering period during the warmer months. In the tropics, many flower year-round, but in cooler areas, flowering is usually from late spring to late autumn.

cultivation & care

Mussaendas are evergreen in tropical regions but become semi-deciduous or fully deciduous during winter in cooler areas. They really do need warmth to thrive and aren’t happy in temperatures below 10°C. Frost is a definite no-no.

Plant them in rich, free-draining, acidic soils in full sun to part shade. They’ll grow in sandy soil that has been improved with manure and compost. They also benefit from being well watered during the warmer months to encourage lush growth and plenty of flowers. Mulching is strongly recommended.

Mussaendas can be grown in large pots filled with premium potting mix. Keep them watered during summer or they’ll soon look sad. Young plants can be pushed along with an organic liquid fertiliser in the warmer months. For established plants, a dose of organic pellets or a layer of compost and manure applied a couple of times a year is usually enough.

To encourage dense growth, lightly prune after flowering or give a harder prune in late winter. With sufficient water, you’ll get a surge of spring growth, quickly followed by flowers.

Mussaendas are sometimes attacked by scale, spider mites and whitefly. You can treat these organically by applying neem oil or horticultural oil, following the product instructions.

These mussaendas are the ones most commonly grown in Australia. Their sizes are variable because the further north you go, the taller they tend to grow. Some of these may also take on a climber habit, which can either be encouraged or tamed with pruning.

Mussaenda philippica Cultivars of this Asian native are the most readily available, and come in white, pink, salmon and red. Some have several enlarged sepals per flower, while others have one, but all are magnificent. Size varies with the cultivar, but plants generally grow 1−1.5m wide and 2−3m high. Many have been developed in the Philippines and are named after former First Ladies or other notable women, but Aussie cultivars are also starting to appear. Note that M. philippica (right and previous page) is suspected of being a hybrid, but for now it is still being called a species.

M. erythrophylla Native to Western Africa, this mussaenda (left) produces white flowers with a single bright red sepal. It tends to sprawl, reaching 1.5m high and up to 3m wide. It tolerates cold and drought better than other mussaendas.

M. frondosa Originating in Asia, this species (right) produces orange flowers with a lovely single large white sepal. It grows up to 2m high and wide.

Pseudomussaenda flava Formerly in the Mussaenda genus, this African native (below) has creamy white sepals with yellow flowers. It grows about 2.5m high and 2m wide. Like M. erythrophylla, it can tolerate cooler, drier conditions.