Common rock rose

Sun

Full sun; flowering is poor in shade.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, allowing the soil to dry slightly between waterings. Established plants tolerate drought and usually need watering only during prolonged dry spells.

Soil

Well-drained, lean to moderately fertile sandy, gritty or chalky soil. Prefers neutral to alkaline conditions; avoid heavy, waterlogged ground.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Flowers

Late spring to midsummer; yellow flowers with orange-yellow centres. Individual flowers usually last only a day, but new buds open over several weeks.

Foliage

Evergreen. Small, opposite, oval to narrow leaves, green to grey-green, often paler and hairy beneath.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.7 ft (0.22 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the UK

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the crown at soil level in freely draining ground.
• Water new plants through their first growing season, but do not keep the soil constantly wet.
• Avoid routine feeding; rich soil encourages soft, sprawling growth.
• Use a thin gravel mulch around the crown rather than moisture-retaining organic mulch.
• In cold climates, choose a sheltered site where winter water drains away quickly.

Pruning. Lightly shear after the main flowering flush, removing spent flowers and a little leafy growth to keep the plant compact. Do not cut hard into old, bare wood, which may not regrow.

Early spring

Check for winter damage and trim dead tips back to living, leafy growth.

Spring

Plant in a sunny, well-drained position and water thoroughly.

Late spring

Check newly planted specimens during dry weather and water when the root zone starts to dry.

Summer

Lightly shear after the main flowering flush to maintain a compact shape.

Late summer

Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots.

Autumn

Clear fallen leaves from the crown and check that surrounding soil drains freely before winter.

• Plant between rocks or along the top of a retaining wall so stems can spill over the edge.
• Use along sunny path edges for a low border that does not need rich soil.
• Combine with dwarf lavender, thyme and stonecrops in a dry gravel garden.
• Plant in small groups on sunny banks to form loose, flowering ground cover.

Garden styles it suits: Dry gravel garden, Alpine rock garden, Mediterranean, Cottage garden, Pollinator garden and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: English lavender, Creeping thyme, Dianthus, Candytuft, Stonecrop and Dwarf bearded iris.

Wildlife: The open flowers provide pollen for bees and other flower-visiting insects.

• Root and crown rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move to a raised gravel bed; avoid watering already damp ground.
• Sparse flowering in shade: move to a site with full sun.
• Woody, open growth with age: trim lightly after flowering and replace declining plants using cuttings rather than cutting into bare wood.
• Winter scorch or dieback in exposed sites: shelter from drying winds and remove dead growth in spring.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. No part is recognised as poisonous, but it is an ornamental plant rather than a food plant.

• White rock rose (Helianthemum apenninum)

  Usually has white flowers and narrower, greyish leaves, rather than the yellow flowers typical of common rock rose.

• Sage-leaved rock rose (Cistus salviifolius)

  Forms a substantially larger shrub with white flowers and broader, wrinkled, sage-like leaves.

• Spring cinquefoil (Potentilla verna)

  Also forms low mats with yellow flowers, but its leaves are divided into several toothed leaflets; common rock rose has simple, opposite leaves.

Helianthemum comes from Greek words meaning 'sun flower', while nummularium refers to a coin-like shape, commonly interpreted as the rounded flowers.

Propagation. Sow species seed in spring, or take semi-ripe cuttings in summer. Use cuttings to preserve named cultivars; seedlings may differ from the parent.

Accepted botanical name

Helianthemum nummularium

Native range

Albania, Austria, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Rus, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Denmark and East Aegean Is..

Measured

Soil pH 7 to 7.5. Average height 9 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.