About
Cistus monspeliensis 'Vicar's Mead' is an evergreen, dense shrub that can reach heights of up to 1.2 meters. It features slender, crinkled leaves that are a deep green. Beginning in early summer, it produces aromatic cream-colored flowers, each measuring about 2.5 centimeters in diameter, adorned with golden-yellow centers.
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, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H4
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Coastal, Gravel garden, Mediterranean climate plants
- Fragrance
- Flower
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Will grow well in poor soils but may become chlorotic with age on chalky soils. Needs a sheltered position in full sun
- Pruning
- Pruning group 8 or pruning group 9. Does not respond to hard pruning
- Propagation
- Propagate by softwood cuttings
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus