Cistus 'Ruby Cluster'
Common name(s): rockrose
Description: evergreen shrub; raised by Robert G. Page. Compact, rounded growth and (3.5 cm) white flowers with maroon blotches from spring into summer. Parentage: C. 'Decumbens' × ? × C. inflatus.
Height: to 3 ft. Spread: to 4 ft.
Position: full sun and lean, well-draining soil
Uses: ornamental, weed-suppressing groundcover
Winter Hardiness: to 5 F and below
Drought: adapted to 4+ months of summer drought
Care: tip-pruning after flowering (especially in the first couple of years) will result in a more attractive, compact plant. Cistus generally won't tolerate or regenerate from hard pruning of older, woody growth.
Notes: 'Ruby Cluster' is the end product of a breeding program started by Eric Sammons to produce a blotched-flower equivalent of C. inflatus. The last batch of seeds from this effort were raised by Robert G. Page who selected and named 'Ruby Cluster'.