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Shrub ID please
MrsDangermouse
Posts: 31
in Plants
Hi all - really need your help with identifying this shrub.
We're re-doing the front garden and need to decide which of the plants we'll keep and which will be re-homed. This one is covered in in pretty pink flowers but seems a bit straggly.
0
Posts
Hi
It's Cistus x purpureus https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90960/Cistus-x-purpureus/Details
Not generally long-lived so possibly this one could be replaced
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you! I've now read that it shouldn't be pruned hard so we'll see what kind of state its in once all the weeds are gone. The flowers are very pretty so maybe we'll keep it for a while and see how it goes - we can always replace later if needed.
All the plants in the front gardens were put in by the developers - seemingly at random just to fill the spaces. Makes it difficult to decide what to keep and what to remove when you don't know what they are ;-)
They're not keen on being moved, in my experience.
I've had one for years and it flowered very well every summer - one main flush and then a few more flowers 2 months later. Last summer it was unruly, floppy, woody and twiggy inside. I hacked it right back to about 3 inches above the ground, no leaves left on, it was do or die ! It left me with a big gap in the border so I planted up a tub big enough for the space and it looked fine through Autumn, winter and spring.
Well, it 'did' and is a lovely compact bush now, about 12 inches tall and wide. I'm pinching out the growing tips regularly to keep it bushy through the centre. It will delay/reduce flowering this year but not really bothered.