Shrubby Bindweed

There’s no need to recoil from the common name; the little Mediterranean shrub Convolvulus cneorum is very well-behaved, not invasive like our native bindweeds. It’s a compact and very beautiful, fast-growing, evergreen shrub, with a neat, rounded, bushy habit. The slender, oblong leaves are downy, giving a lovely, shining, silvery appearance. In April, May and June, it shows its kinship to its native cousins by producing, from long, rose-pink buds, fluted, trumpet-shaped, typical bindweed flowers, white to blush-white, with a yellow eye. Drought-tolerant, and ideal for sharply drained soil or a rockery in a warm, sunny site, it can be grown in pots in colder areas and brought under cover for winter. Shrubby bindweed holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Site: Sheltered, sunny, warm site
Soil: Any fairly light, very well-drained soil, not too fertile
Position: Full sun
Season of interest: Spring to early summer in particular
Hardiness: Fairly hardy
Height: up to 3’ (90cm) Spread: 3’ (90cm)