Rockrose plant: care and characteristics

Of all the Cistus genus, the most common in its cultivation is the so-called sticky rockrose or ladaniferous steppescientific name Cistus ladanifer. These are some of its features:

• Like the rest of the plants of its genus, it is a shrubby plant It rarely exceeds 2 meters in height, and it is common for it to remain much smaller than these, especially indoors.
• The Cistus ladanifer has its origin in the Mediterranean area and it is such an important plant in this region and of such great expansion, that most flower honey produced in the area incorporates rockrose pollen.
• It has lanceolate leaves of a beautiful grayish green tone that are also covered with a film of aromatic oil, labdanum.
• The rockrose flowersone of the main attractions of the plant, are of up to 10cm in diameter, with 5 petals, white and very showy and, although they last a short time, the plant produces a large number of them. This means that, despite the duration of only a few hours of its flowers, the plant looks full of them during almost the entire spring and summer months. In other rockrose species the flowers are pink or lilac.
• The rockrose plant aroma It is its other great attraction, since in the warm months it will give a unique atmosphere to the spaces in which it is found.

The rockrose is not a delicate plant, but it is rustic and therefore it is not demanding with its location. Outdoors, we can place it practically anywhere, although it will develop best in well-lit areaseven with direct sun As long as it’s not too intense. It is common to use rockrose bushes to form shrubby groups in the garden, as well as to delimit edges or ground areas.

Indoors, it is advisable to place it in well-lit rooms, preferably near light sources such as windows.

Being originally from the mediterranean basinthe plant is adapted to temperate climates. It can withstand fairly intense droughts and suns, but it does not tolerate intense cold or frost very well. If the temperature in your area regularly drops below 0°C in winter, you will not be able to grow rockrose in the garden, or you will need to protect it in some way during the cold months if you do.

The rockrose is a plant that tolerates drought very well due to its natural environment, but for this it must be in good conditions. Usually it will suffice to water it 1-2 times a week.

The most important thing in terms of irrigation is not to overdo it and flood it, since that would most likely cause the rotting of its roots. If your plant is in a pot and has a saucer, always remove the excess water 10 minutes after watering.

On the other hand, it is also very important not to irrigate with water that is too calcareous. To maintain an acid pH of it, between 4 and 6, you can always squeeze half a lemon over a liter of water before watering your rockrose with it, thus preventing the soil from becoming too alkaline and causing iron chlorosis problems to appear. If you see symptoms of yellow leaves on your rockrose, specifically if only the nerve remains green on the leaves, it is because you need to use more acidic water for irrigation.

Here you can learn some tips to know when to water the plants.

The jar is a acidophilic plantyou need soils with a pH between 4 and 6 to develop properly. This makes it not advisable to plant it in areas with a lot of lime, but the most important thing is that it is a soil with a drainage as best as possible.

It is not demanding in terms of nutrients, but if you use a substrate made with earthworm humus, peat and coconut fiber in equal parts, you will get an ideal mix for most plants, rockrose among them. You can also add some vermiculite and perlite to the mix, thus ensuring better water absorption and retention properties.

Regarding the subscriber of the rockrose plant, it will suffice with add some organic matter to the plant in the warm monthsin the form of earthworm humus or compost.

A late winterbefore the rockrose plant wakes up from its vegetative rest, it will suffice to practice a maintenance pruning removing dead branches or branches in poor condition. In springafter the first flowering, you can point it out to stimulate increased production.

the rockrose does not resist transplants well, so it’s best to try to avoid them unless they’re absolutely necessary. Rule out doing this every year or you will put a lot of stress on your plant. In case you need to do it, you can consult our guide on How to transplant a plant.

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