Cistus - Rock Rose

Flowering shrubs are the backbone of a big garden full of mixed plantings. Easily overlooked when the real roses are blooming is the so called ’Rock Rose’ or Cistus shrub.

Cistus are the perennial (excuse the gardening pun!) bargain bin shrub. In my first eager gardening days, with empty paddocks and a budget, I grabbed any Cistus I thus found, no matter how root-bound or unhealthy it looked. Later I went through an unfortunate phase - unfortunate for the Cistus plants, that is, and ripped many of them out.

I think I’ve settled down and matured. I now appreciate the small yet honest contribution made by the remaining Rock Roses in my garden. I’ve also learnt to prune them quite hard. I take them totally for granted. I even ignore them - that's life, for a Cistus!