Helianthemum Hartswood Ruby - Rock Rose

Helianthemum 'Hartswood Ruby' is an excellent semi-evergreen rockery plant forming a compact, spreading undershrub. It is remarkable for its long and generous summer flowering, with single flowers, which are raspberry red with a ruby heart. Plant in borders or rockeries to enjoy a frenzy of beautiful purple and crimson colours!

'Hartswood Ruby' is a hybrid low-growing undershrub. It is spreading and dense, forming a cushion of fine and woody branches that carpet the ground. It measures 20 cm (7.9 in) in height with a spread of 40 cm (15.7 in). Its semi-evergreen foliage, composed of small linear, opposite dark green shiny leaves, enhances the abundant and luminous summer flowering. From May to August, it is covered with a multitude of small cup-shaped flowers measuring 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter. The flowers have five petals, and are cherry red with a purple heart, adorned with a bouquet of golden stamens. Belonging to the Cistaceae family, Helianthemum is similar to Cistus in terms of the shape and delicacy of its flowers, as well as its strong preference for the sun. Helianthemum means "Flower of the sun" in Greek, an appropriate name for these flowers that only open in the presence of strong sunlight. Its delicate little flowers only last a few days, but constantly renew themselves throughout the summer, and even into autumn.

Helianthemum is the ideal plant to enhance a rocky garden, a sunny slope, or cascading on a retaining wall. It will also have a beautiful effect in the foreground of perennial beds or raised flower beds. It thrives in pots or containers for terraces, and is perfect for creating green walls and green roofs. It can be planted alongside many other rockery plants (Erigeron, Dianthus, Shrubby Wallflower), as well as perennial plants such as Lavender, Iris germanica, Rockrose, Helianthus, Convolvulus, Coreopsis, and Shrubby Sage.