About
Cistus ladanifer 'Pat' is a robust evergreen shrub that can reach heights of up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) and spread about 1 meter (39 inches) wide. Its foliage consists of oval to lance-shaped leaves that are a deep green. This plant is notable for its glandular hairs, which secrete a sticky, aromatic resin known as 'ladanum,' often used in the fragrance industry. During the summer and into autumn, it produces white flowers shaped like saucers, each adorned with a maroon blotch at the base of the petals and a cluster of bright yellow stamens at the center. For optimal growth, it thrives in full sun and requires very well-drained soil, particularly to withstand the wetter conditions of winter.
About the genus
Cistus consists of evergreen shrubs featuring simple, opposite leaves. They produce bowl-shaped flowers with five petals that can be white, pink, or purplish. Each flower lasts for just one day, blooming over an extended summer period.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Coastal, Cottage and informal garden, Mediterranean climate plants, Patio and container plants
- Fragrance
- Foliage
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grows well in poor, but well drained soil, in a sheltered site and full sun. The foliage may become chlorotic with age when the shrubs are grown on chalky soil.
- Pruning
- Pruning group 8 or pruning group 9 if necessary; they do not respond well to hard pruning so old leggy plants are best replaced. Pinch back young plants after flowering to encourage a bushy habit
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, softwood cuttings in spring and by semi-ripe cuttings from midsummer to early autumn
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus