Cistus pulverulentus Sunset - Rockrose

Cistus x pulverulentus 'Sunset', also known as dusty rockrose, is a vigorous hybrid cistus with a strong personality. It stands out from other species and varieties with its very prostrate habit and late flowering, June in the south, of a hot pink colour that is particularly vibrant under the strong summer light. Its flowers, with their golden hearts, renew themselves for at least 2 months, set against a wavy and velvety green-grey foliage. Able to spread over more than 1.5m (5ft) wide, this evergreen Mediterranean bush forms an excellent ground cover for poor and dry slopes. This 'creeping' cistus will only thrive in well-drained soil and in full sun.

Cistus x pulverulentus 'Sunset' belongs to the cistaceae family. It is the result of cross-breeding between Cistus albidus, with its grey velvet foliage, very tolerant of limestone, and Cistus crispus, with a very spreading habit. These plants are native to Mediterranean regions. Cistus pulverulentus Sunset is a branched bush that will reach a height of 40 to 60cm, with a width of 1.25 to 2m (4-6.5ft), or even more on mature subjects. Its growth is quite slow, the plant ages relatively well and lives 12 to 15 years, sometimes more. The flowering takes place in spring or early summer depending on the climate and lasts for about two months, extending into summer. The flowers, with their well-opened round corollas, measure 3 to 5cm (1.2 to 2in) in diameter and are a very bright pink, almost fluorescent, enhanced at the heart by numerous bright yellow stamens. The petals slightly overlap. They only live for a day, covering the ground with their petals in the late afternoon, but will already be replaced the next morning. The evergreen foliage is composed of thick, elongated and wavy leaves, grey-green and hairy, measuring from 3 to 5cm (1.2 to 2in) long. The leaves can be partially deciduous at the end of summer in cases of prolonged drought.

This pretty ground cover for rocky areas and poor soils is perfectly adapted to drought and hardy down to -10/-12°C(14/10.4°F) . It will be magnificent on a slope or in a large rockery, forming a beautiful tapestry of flowers. Create a perennial bed to accompany your cistus to evoke the scrubland, by mixing foliage and scents of lavender, creeping rosemary, thyme, wall bellflowers, and even aromatic perennials. Add Californian poppies, a creeping rose (Rosa Grouse), and dryland euphorbias for some dynamism in your compositions. You could also create a raised bed with a more exotic connotation by combining this creeping cistus with Australian shrubs such as Melaleuca gibbosa, Callistemon rigidus, Grevillea rosmarinifolia, and Leptospermum, placed in the background. You can plant it directly in the ground in the south, if well-drained, however grow in pots in colder regions. In containers ensure there is sufficient drainage, and water abundantly but with spaced intervals, allowing the soil to dry between waterings.