Photography: Cistus x laxus 'Snow White' Flowering Shrub

View this post on Hive: Photography: Cistus x laxus 'Snow White' Flowering Shrub

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Common Name: Rock Rose or Snow White Sun Rose

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_{Camera: Nikon D3400}

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Following on from my previous post I wanted to share with you, my second plant specimen from the same day.

This shrub was really hard to identify, let alone find any information about it. Not only are there many different varieties of this flower and they also seem to have different names in different regions. For instance, I found a very similar flowering shrub on a UK website that was known by another name and to be honest, I'm not sure if they are two different flowers or the same flower. My research has narrowed it down to possibly being a hybrid and one that has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Cistus × laxus Aiton (C. populifolius × C. inflatus)

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_{Camera: Nikon D3400}

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From past experience, I've learnt a few little tricks that can help identify any sort of plant. Of course, the flower is always the best place to start, however, leaves can also be an excellent guide. Therefore, I always make a mental note of the leaves; the shape, colour and even the texture can be essential information that helps narrow down my list.

The characteristics of the plant can also be applied to the climate in the region of it's physical location and compared to see if it's a suitable match. In this case, the shrub is located in Canberra and growing in a council maintained garden with plenty of passers-by. The Cistus x laxus 'Snow White' has ideal characteristics to thrive in such conditions.

Not only is it known to be a vigorous and hardy plant, it is also said to be frost and drought tolerant, requiring little water making it a great choice for dry gardens. The Snow White is said to flourish with only light pruning which I'm guessing makes it a popular choice for landscape architects and gardeners alike.
Overall, it sounds like an ideal variety for the Australian climate.

Information regarding the max. heights and widths of different varieties proved to be a useful measure which helped me eliminate some competition. One particular plant, that I initially thought was the strongest candidate, turned out to only be a maximum height of 30 cm. Since my shrub was over 1 metre high, I knew it had to be wrong.

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_{Camera: Nikon D3400}

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Whilst researching these various plants, I have learnt so much and I feel more confident in my ability to choose plants that will grow well in my garden. Most of my learning is centred around just knowing which plants are able survive the summer heat and equally withstand the frosty winters. Its a fine balance but I think this particular shrub may even be given a friendly home in my front garden.

Thanks for visiting and reading my post, I really appreciate your time.

Information was sourced from the following sites.
Wikipedia - Cistus
Garden Express
Larkman Nurseries
Lambley Nursery

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