Purple-flowered Rock Rose

A lovely hybrid rock rose which thrives in all but the coldest gardens, Cistus x purpureus is a small to medium-sized, evergreen shrub with an upright, bushy, rounded habit. The lance-shaped, wrinkled leaves on slightly sticky stems are aromatic and deep green, a good foil for the flowers. From June to August or September, the shrub bears flowers in clusters of three, each 8cm across, with petals like crumpled tissue-paper, pinkish-purple with a deep red blotch at the centre. The flowers fall off after a day, maintaining the shrub’s tidiness, but are replaced by more and more; they are attractive to bees and butterflies. Pinch back to maintain the shape of the bush; never cut into old wood. Purple-flowered rock rose holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.