White Rockrose

This hybrid rockrose, often sold interchangeably with Cistus corbariensis, produces the same crinkled white flowers with gold centers on a low, spreading evergreen shrub. The taxonomy of the rockrose genus is tangled, nurseries and references use different names for what may or may not be distinct plants, but the garden performance is consistent: a tough, aromatic, drought-tolerant shrub that flowers profusely in late spring and asks almost nothing of you in return.

The cultural requirements mirror every other rockrose: full sun, sharp drainage, and the discipline to not irrigate once the plant is established. One disease and one pest are tracked. Wet winter soil is the enemy. If you are building a Mediterranean-style planting in Western Washington, a south-facing bank, a gravel garden, a parking strip with amended drainage, rockrose belongs in the mix. It provides structure, fragrance, flowers, and year-round evergreen cover in sites that are too hostile for conventional ornamentals.