Choosing a rock rose

Depending on the colour of the flowers.

Growing in rocky meadows up to 1,500 metres high, Helianthemum is found in Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean Basin and the Balearics, as well as in the Americas. The Helianthemum captivates with its compact, bushy habit and small green or silvery leaves, which are clothed in showy flowers in fine weather and also in autumn. The flowering of Helianthemum offers a wide colour palette, from red to yellow, including white, pink and orange.

• Yellow helianthemums: you have a choice between the softness of the pastel yellow of the Helianthemum ‘Wisley Primrose’, the brightness of the sulphur-yellow of the common helianthemum, or the radiance of golden-yellow with an orange heart as in the Helianthemum ‘Golden Queen’
• Orange helianthemums: to stay within the vitamin-coloured hues that bring vitality to the garden, orange-flowering helianthemums range from bronze-orange with a yellow heart such as the Helianthemum ‘Bronzeteppich’, dark orange with a red centre at the Helianthemum ‘Fire Dragon’, bright orange with a red heart at the Helianthemum ‘Ben Alder’, or the soft, warm orange with a yellow heart at the Helianthemum ‘Orange Double’.
• Pink helianthemums: you can opt for the vivid pink with a yellow heart from the Helianthemum ‘Lawrenson’s Pink’, the pastel pink with a yellow-orange heart from the Helianthemum ‘Rhodanthe Carneum’, the soft pink with a yellow heart from the Helianthemum ‘Annabel’ or the carmine-pink with a yellow-orange heart from the Helianthemum ‘Ben Hope’.
• Red helianthemums: Helianthemum also comes in raspberry red with a ruby heart such as the Helianthemum ‘Hartswood Ruby’, cherry red with the Helianthemum ‘Cerise Queen’, bright orange-red with the Helianthemum ‘Tomato Red’, and intense rose-red with a yellow-orange heart at the Helianthemum ‘Supreme’.
• White helianthemums: if you want to brighten borders or beds, choose white and gold with the Helianthemum ‘The Bride’ and the Apennine helianthemum, or ivory with a yellow heart with the Helianthemum ‘Elfenbeinglanz’.

From clockwise: Helianthemum ‘Elfenbeinglanz’, Helianthemum nummularium, ‘Bronzeteppich’, ‘Supreme’, ‘Tomato Red’, ‘Hartswood Ruby’, ‘Cerise Queen’

Depending on the shape of the flowers.

With Heliantheums, the flowers are cup-shaped and can be single or double. Varieties with single flowers are the most common. To add variety and create a more floriferous display, you can opt for helianthemums with double flowers such as the Helianthemum ‘Sulphureum Plenum’, ‘Annabel’ or ‘Orange Double’.

Helianthemum sulphureum ‘Plenum’, ‘Annabel’, ‘Henfield Brilliant’, Helianthemum ‘Elfenbeinglanz’

Depending on the flowering period

Helianthemums bloom, depending on the variety, from April to September. Some bloom as early as April, such as the Apennine rock-rose, which bears flowers until July. Most bloom from May to June, July or August. Others bloom from June to August, such as the Helianthemum ‘Ben Hope’ and up to September, as with the common rock-rose and the Helianthemum ‘Golden Queen’.

Good to know: the flowers are short-lived and are quickly replaced by new ones. They close up at the end of the day.

Depending on the colour of the foliage.

The Helianthemum has evergreen, or semi-evergreen, foliage in very cold regions. The slender, woody branches bear small leaves 0.5 to 5 cm long and linear-oblong, bearing tiny white hairs on the underside or slightly glossy. The Helianthemum bear foliage silvery-green like the Helianthemum apeninnum or ‘Fire Dragon’. Some have deep glossy green foliage such as the Helianthemum ‘Lawrenson’s Pink’ or light green like the Helianthemum ‘Ben Fhada’.

Foliage of Helianthemum ‘Ben Fhada’ and ‘Lawrenson’s Pink’

Depending on height

Helianthemum is a shrub that can reach a height of 15 to 30 cm. Among the smaller ones reaching 15 cm, the common helianthemum, as well as the variety ‘Annabel’, ‘Ben Alder’ and ‘Sulphureum Plenum’. Among the tallest, for example, are the helianthemum ‘Supreme’ (20 cm), ‘Wisley Primrose’ (25 cm) and ‘Rhodante Carneum’ (30 cm).

The Helianthemum ‘Rhodante Carneum’ and ‘Wisley Primrose’ are among the tallest

Depending on usage

A hardy little garrigue plant, Helianthemum can be used in a variety of settings—from a rockery to a living wall and a green roof, including borders, beds and container cultivation. Just meet its needs: full sun and well-drained soil.

In a rockery, a dry garden or a slope

Helianthemum is a dry-rockery plant that enjoys full sun and well-drained soil. It is perfect for flowering a rockery, a dry or gravel garden, to fill a bank or the interstices of a low wall or paving. You can thus play with the vibrant colours, such as the cherry red of the Helianthemum ‘Cherry Queen’, which forms a small flowering cascade on a dark green, glossy backdrop. You can also opt for the bright yellow of the Helianthemum ‘Ben Fhada’, which contrasts with an orange centre and light green foliage.

As a groundcover in a border or a bed

Helianthemum forms a small, bushy shrub with a spreading habit, which can spread up to 50 cm wide, as with the Helianthemum ‘Golden Queen’. This trait makes it an excellent groundcover to plant in full sun in a border or a bed.

On a living wall or a green roof

As Helianthemum favours well-drained substrates and tolerates drought very well, it can be used to dress and colour a living wall or a green roof. Again, have fun with its colour palette of flowers.

In a pot

Thanks to its small size, Helianthemum grows easily in a pot or a window box.

On a low wall, in a border and a rockery

Based on hardiness

Helianthemum is a hardy plant that tolerates frosts from -15°C to -20°C for most varieties. Among the hardiest, withstanding down to -20°C, choose for example the Helianthemum ‘Raspberry Ripple’ or ‘Wisley Primrose’. Among the less hardy, there is the Helianthemum apeninnum which tolerates down to -9°C.

Further reading:

• our full range of helianthemums
• as well as our planting and growing guide for helianthemum.