Yep. Great color contrast, especially in the winter garden and the flowers are often overlooked as well.

That's it, then! On my wish list! Thank you neighbor!

Beautiful plant, but not vigorous for me--I think perhaps I did not water it sufficiently. Spreads better with loose, fluffy soil (doesn't spread much).

yes, I agree - it is a lovely plant but is easily bullied despite feeling tough and leathery. Mine is sulking after being barged out by massive clumps of geum.....but will be moving it to grow with the dieramas....which also prefer a bit more space than my hugger-mugger plantings allow for. I would ideally like to grow a dozen or so, in a grass landscape rather than fighting for life in a crowded border. The libertia grandiflora, with panicles of white flowers, is more forgiving for me.

Thanks for the input.

Camp I can see your vision! Could you recommend some Dieramas? Thank you.

This post was edited by catkin on Mon, Sep 22, 14 at 1:47

I'd recognize that "lower end of..." language anywhere.
Sean Hogan is a national treasure of horticulture, surely, but Cistus has a tendency to exaggerate hardiness claims, here and there. SM Growers seems to think it is only hardy to 15-20F, so, I'd be careful. Very, very few plants native to NZ are hardy to "0F". Though in fairness, the "Lake Te Anau" Phormiums he sold me a few years ago _did_ survive this last winter, albeit only returning from the deepest rhizomes (size of plants was greatly reduced), and luckily I had heavy snowcover. So even those I'm not sure if I'd say they were really zn 7 hardy. They've had a few real doozies in the past decade or so, like saying an Ochagavia was hardy to 0F. It wasn't, it died quite decisively in the upper teens, and that in a south facing, wind and rain-sheltered spot where my Ceanothus 'Concha' survived for years. (died last winter of course)

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=991

This post was edited by davidrt28 on Tue, Sep 23, 14 at 16:54

Thanks for that, David! Seems to have sold out before I could get it but I'm patient. :~)

I am having a massive infatuation with the pale and silvery d.argyreum, the gorgeously deep red of d.reynoldsii and also d.dracomontanum (smaller coral red bells at around 2feet). Out of the puklcherrimum varieties, Merlin and Blackbird are richly coloured and there is a very vigorous clone, Blue Bell.

I love these - easy (if a little slow) from seed.