CISTUS. Rockrose. Tough and attractive shrubs of the Mediterranean region. They have interestingly textured leaves, often fuzzy and sage-like. Their large spring blossoms, colored white to reddish-purple, resemble single roses. Sun, well drained soil, little or no supplemental watering when established. Hardiness varies, though all selections listed will tolerate short bouts of 10-15oF.
x aguilarii. This is a natural hybrid involving C. ladanifer. The particular clone in question has been widely circulated as C. ‘Blanche’, a smaller and more compact plant. It is quite upright in habit, with straight, sturdy stems lined by lance-shaped leaves up to 4" long. The leaves have conspicuously wavy margins and are dark green above, fuzzy and paler beneath. This selection is particularly notable for its very large snow-white flowers.
crispus hybrid (similar to the British ‘Warley Rose’). A dense, mounding shrub of about 1’ by 3’, with dark green, rough-textured leaves and flowers of lavender-rose. A rugged, attractive ground and bank cover.
x hybridus (corbariensis). The best-known of the group, partly because it is a nearly indestructible shrub. It is round and bushy, growing 5’ high or more when left to its own devices but easily sheared and shaped. It has reddish stems and deep green, wavy-edged 1-2" leaves. The flowers are white, just a little over 1" broad but liberally dotting the plant for several weeks in late spring and summer. It is the one cistus commonly and successfully used as a hedge, and probably the most adaptable to heavy soils.
incanus ‘LASCA Select’. Rockrose. This is one of remarkably few new rockroses to arrive on the California gardening scene in recent years. It was selected by Ken Montgomery from a seedling batch started at the L.A. State and County Arboretum. This is a broadly mounding shrub, up to 3’ high and 8’ broad. The stems are crowded with broad 1½” greyish green leaves. In spring mauve flowers nestle among the leaves.
ladanifer. Crimson-spot rockrose. Though some of its hybrids are better plants for the landscape, this old standby continues to be used in great numbers in California. It is usually 3-5’ high, reasonably dense when young but remaining so only with careful pruning as it matures. The leaves are lance-shaped, smooth-margined and up to 4" long. Other striking features are their deep green color, resinous surface and heavy, sweet fragrance on warm days. The flowers are about 3" broad, and in color pure white with crimson spots near the bases of the petals.
x lusitanicus ‘Decumbens’. C. x lusitanicus is a variable hybrid of C. ladanifer and C. hirsutus. This particular selection, received from John Shiver, is quite dense and low, making a mound perhaps 1-2’ high and twice that in breadth. The stems are thickly clad with leaves which much resemble those of C. ladanifer–rather narrow, smooth-margined, deep green and resinous. The flowers are pure white with the familiar crimson spot at the base of each petal.
x purpureus. Orchid rockrose. One of the now-standard landscaping shrubs, which I almost hesitate to describe here. However, it deserves its popularity. This hybrid, of which only one, unnamed clone seems to be grown much in California, has a nearly round profile, growing 3-5’ high and wide. It has narrow, slightly wavy-edged leaves up to 2" long, dark green above and greyish beneath. The broad-petalled flowers are up to 3" broad, purplish rose overall with a darker eyespot near the base of each petal. ‘Doris Hibberson’ is placed by the British in this group. It is a decidedly stouter, more rigid shrub than other selections, with thicker, greyer leaves. The flowers are equally large but bright pink in color, with lighter centers and a distinctive “crepe paper” texture. All regenerate poorly after hard pruning and tend to be short-lived in the landscape.
salviifolius ‘Prostratus’. Dwarf sageleaf rockrose. A 1’ by 6’ mound with fuzzy leaves covered in spring by small pure white blossoms. It is used extensively as a ground cover.
‘Santa Cruz’. A selection or hybrid of C. creticus, received from Herb Senft. I decided it deserved a distinguishing name. It is an erect-oval, compact shrub of about 3’ with bright grey, scallop-edged leaves and 2" blossoms colored purple-rose.
x skanbergii. A natural hybrid of C. parviflorus, forming a compact 1½’ by 3’ mound of soft, grey green foliage. It is adorned in spring by many small coral pink blossoms.
‘Sunset’. An interesting and showy hybrid, useful particularly on banks and other large open spaces. It usually remains under 3’ tall but spreads widely. The stems are packed with large, soft grey green leaves. 2" magenta blossoms decorate the plant much of the summer.