Cistus Grayswood Pink

The Cistus 'Grayswood Pink' is a hybrid shrub with a spreading growth habit, abundant pastel pink spring flowering, and good cold resistance. It is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub perfectly adapted to dry and poor soils, forming an excellent ground cover. Its grey-green vegetation is covered with flowers for three weeks in spring. Cistus plants clearly express the spirit of the Mediterranean scrubland, and to successfully grow them, it is essential to provide them with what they like: poor, well-draining soil that is dry in summer and a sheltered position away from cold winds. This shrub will look superb in a rock garden or above a low wall.

This 'Grayswood Pink' variety combines C. sintenisii and C. parviflorus. Like all rockroses, these plants belong to the Cistaceae family. This highly branched shrub has a prostrate, low, and wide habit. Eventually, it reaches a 30 to 40 cm height with a spread of 1 to 1.40 m. It has rapid growth, but its lifespan rarely exceeds 10 to 12 years. The very abundant flowering occurs from March to May, depending on the climate. The small single flowers, measuring 3-4 cm in diameter, have slightly crumpled pale pink petals on the edges and are whiter towards the centre. A cluster of golden yellow stamens occupies the corolla's centre. Each flower only lives for a few hours, but there are countless buds, ensuring a flowering period that lasts for three weeks. The small oval leaves are evergreen in winter, grey-green in colour, and become grey in summer. This rockrose's root system is deep and ramified, so powerful that it manages to penetrate between fractured rocks to draw the slightest trace of moisture from deep down while its surface roots capture moisture from the topsoil. They possess allelopathic properties that limit the germination and growth of other competing plants.

The 'Grayswood Pink' rockrose is a plant that thrives in rocky and poor soil and is hardy down to -15 °C. It is perfectly adapted to drought, with delicate flowers that hide a robustness that can withstand arid conditions. It will look magnificent when placed in a raised position, in a rock garden, on a slope, or above a low wall, forming a beautiful cascade of flowers in spring. Create a persistent bed to accompany your rockrose, evoking the Mediterranean scrubland by mixing foliage and fragrances of lavenders, creeping rosemary, thymes, teucriums, and other aromatic perennials. Add, for example, some California poppies and Corsican spurge to bring some dynamism to your composition. You can plant this rockrose in coastal gardens as it tolerates sea spray.

Note: The Cistus x lenis 'Grayswood Pink' is sometimes marketed under Cistus x argenteus 'Silver Pink', as these two hybrids appear very similar. However, there is some confusion in the nomenclature, and not all specialists agree on merging the two varieties. For some, it could be the 'Barnsley Pink' variety, while others believe the latter is a seedling of 'Grayswood Pink'. However, the name Cistus x parviflorus 'Grayswood Pink' is incorrect.