Helianthemum
Rock rose or Sun rose
This is the plant of the day today just because. Because it grows here. It is evergreen and I see it in people’s front yards every day.
It smells like pumpkin, so I loved trimming it back in the rock garden at Kew. It is low and spreading, becoming slightly woody with age. The leaves are long, narrow and rounded at the ends. They can be silvery-grey or green. The crepe-y flowers come in bright Mediterranean colors.
Helianthemum is in the cistus family, Cistaceae. There are over 100 Helianthemum species, many are native to Southern Europe and Turkey, though they are also found in Central Asia, Africa and the Americas. One Eastern US wildflower, Helianthemum canadense has pale yellow flowers and is called frostweed.
The most important thing about growing it in the garden is to provide excellent drainage. It prefers full sun and is hardy in zones 6-10.
