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Cistus × hybridus

hybrid rock rose

A bushy, dense, evergreen shrub to 1m tall with wavy-edged and wrinkled leaves.White flowers with yellow centres are freely produced in summer emerging from red buds

Synonyms
Cistus coeris
Cistus × corbariensis
see moreCistus × hybridus var. corbariensis
Cistus acutifolius Sweet
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Size
Ultimate height
0.5–1 metres
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
1–1.5 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Green
Summer White Yellow Green
Autumn Green
Winter Green
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H4
Botanical details
Family
Cistaceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Bushy
Genus

Cistus are evergreen shrubs with simple, opposite leaves and 5-petalled, bowl-shaped, white, pink or purplish flowers, each lasting a single day, over a long period in summer

Name status

Correct

Plant range
S Europe

How to grow

Cultivation

Grows best in well-drained, poor, sandy, soil in a sheltered site in full sun. Generally lime-tolerant, but may become chlorotic on very chalky soils

Propagation

Propagate by softwood or semi-ripe cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Rock garden
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Gravel garden
  • Mediterranean climate plants
  • Banks and slopes
  • Flower borders and beds
Pruning

Pruning group 8; they do not respond well to hard pruning so old, leggy plants are best replaced. Pinch back young plants after flowering to encourage a bushy habit

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus

Get involved

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