sun rose
© Blooming Nursery, Inc.
Sun roses are an underused plant that can bring a variety of sherbet colors to the late spring, early summer garden; especially for sites with full sun and little water. The evergreen foliage is grayish green with the small leaves being lance-shaped. This spreading, woody-stemmed perennial could be considered a subshrub as its creeping stems rarely venture above a foot in height and spread to three or so feet. In May to June the bright flower colors of various cultivars burst forth with 'Mesa Wine' being a radiant scarlet. The rose-shaped flowers only last a day, but on well-grown plants the bloom can be profuse.
Plant Type: perennial
Growth Habit: spreading
Foliage Type: evergreen
Plant Height (10-year): 1 ft. 0 in. (0.30 meters)
Plant Width/Spread (10-year): 3 ft. 0 in. (0.91 meters)
Hardiness: USDA Zones 5 to 8
Flower Color: red
Sun/Light Exposure: full sun
Water Requirements: drought tolerant when established
Seasonal Interest: colorful rose-shaped flowers in late spring, early summer
Wildlife Associations: bees, butterflies
Being native to habitats with plenty of sunshine these plants flower best on full sun sites. Water until established and then sun roses are drought tolerant. Any average soil will do as well as soils that are clay or sandy provided the drainage is excellent.
Text and photos ©2020 Great Plant Picks/Elisabeth Carey Miller Garden except where otherwise noted
Funded by the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation, The Seattle Times, and Individual Donors
Administered by the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden