About
Cistus x purpureus 'Alan Fradd' features large, delicate white blooms with tissue-thin petals. Each petal is marked with a prominent crimson blotch near the base and is complemented by a cluster of golden anthers. This shrub typically grows to a height of approximately 1 meter.
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
- West-facing, South-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H4
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Mediterranean climate plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Will grow well in poor soils, but requires full sun and shelter. Tolerates salty, seaside conditions. Hardy to -10°C. Can become chlorotic on chalky soils
- Pruning
- Minimal pruning: Pruning group 8 or pruning group 9
- Propagation
- Propagate by softwood cuttings in summer
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus