Rockroses for Northwest Gardens

Cistus x aguilarii ‘Maculatus’. Author’s photographs
. . . rock roses are a pleasure to plant and their possibilities are endless. They are best clothing hot, dry banks, or tumbling over rocks in a chaparral-type planting, or billowing out from an island planting of drought resistant shrubs . . .

Lester Hawkins, Brooms and Rock Roses: A Gardener’s Guide, Pacific Horticulture, Fall ’78
“Pseudo-mediterranean” is the designation often given to the climate of the Pacific Northwest, west of the Cascades. We might not have the heat or lengthy summer drought of much of California, but the reliably dry summers place as much stress on landscape plants as cold and rain do in winter. Restricted water supplies in some communities have increased the cost of irrigation for gardeners and stimulated a discussion about landscapes that require less water. This has created a natural interest in the use of more native plants as well as plants from other regions that will thrive in our climate with minimal irrigation.

Cistus x ralettii

Most Northwest g...