Monrovia : Learn

Very showy, sturdy shrub. Single white flowers with crimson spots displayed in profusion in summer. Excellent for xeriscape compositions and dry banks. Evergreen. Full sun. Moderate grower to 3 to 5 feet tall and wide. Cutting grown.

Performance and Requirements

Light needs: Full sun

Watering Needs: Once established, needs only occasional watering.

Pruning Time: Summer after flowering

Growth Rate: Moderate Growing

Growth Habit: Bushy

Soil conditions: Clay, Poor, Dry

• Drought Tolerant

Design Information

Companion Plants

TUSCAN BLUE ROSEMARY
Rosmarinus officinalis 'Tuscan Blue'

LITTLE OLLIE^® DWARF OLIVE
Olea europaea 'Montra' P.P.# 6266

CORONATION GOLD YARROW
Achillea x 'Coronation Gold'

LEMON LEIGH SPANISH LAVENDER
Lavandula stoechas 'Lemon Leigh' P.P.A.F.

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Companion Plants (Description): Cistus thrives under the same conditions as Lemon Leigh Spanish Lavender, (Lavandula stoechas 'Lemon Leigh'), Little Ollie Dwarf Olive, (Olea europea 'Montra'), Tuscan Blue Rosemary, (Rosmarinus officinalis 'Tuscan Blue') and Coronation Gold Yarrow, (Achillea x 'Coronation Gold').

Design Styles: Excellent shrub for dry gardens thriving on banks, slopes and open areas. Beautiful planted in small irregular groups in conjunction with rock surfacing and boulders. Stands nicely with arid western natives as well as the Mediterraneans of its homeland. Evergreen beauty for Spanish style homes with stucco exteriors as well as Craftsman bungalows.

Display Uses: Rock Garden Plant, Mass Planting, Erosion Control, Firescaping Plant

Garden Styles: Mediterranean

Special Features: Attracts butterflies, Fragrant, Year-round Interest, Extended Bloom Season, Showy Flowers

Wildlife Value: Attracts butterflies

Care Information

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. For a formal appearance, shear annually after flowering.

Background Information

History: This rockrose is among the recognized species native to the Mediterranean and the richest in commercially harvested oil. The genus Cistus was named after the original Greek name for the plant which is indigenous there. With twenty species native to this region there's much debate because demand for rockrose oil in ancient times caused the plants to be redistributed by growers. In the 1820s the rockrose enjoyed a rise in interest so that 112 varieties were known. Edouard Bernet of Antibes became a specialist and over fifteen years from 1860 to 1875 increased that number to 234. Most of these have disappeared with the demand for this oil.

Lore: The oil of rockrose was called "vegetable ambergris" because it was an ancient alternative to the rare whale ambergris treasured by the perfume and incense trade.

Botanical Pronunciation: SIS-tus la-DAH-ni-fer mak-u-LA-tus

Catalog Description: Very showy, sturdy shrub. Single white flowers with crimson spots displayed in profusion in summer. Excellent for xeriscape compositions and dry banks. Evergreen. Full sun. Moderate grower to 3 to 5 feet tall and wide. Cutting grown.