PLANT EXPERT Mediterranean beauties best admired before the midday sun

Cistus fernandesiae ‘Anne Palmer’ 24 Decades spent directing digs in Crete led archaeologist PETER WARREN to develop a fascination in the island’s botany and his own Cistus Collection For those who know the Mediterranean also present in the island: Fumana, countryside, the olive will seem the Helianthemum and Tuberaria. All most characteristic plant. But for plant Cistaceae are part of the incredibly lovers and botanists Cistus (the rock rich Cretan flora, some 1,740 native

Pat Breen, Oregon State University © Pat rose or sun rose) has an equal claim. species, of which no fewer than 160 Its many shades of pink or white are endemic. flowers are instantly recognisable by PLANT HUNTING their crumpled tissue-paper form. We always had a few cistus in our But the leaf forms, sizes and growing garden and from the early 1990s I habits are extraordinarily varied – started to form a collection, never you could well not know a plant was having heard of the RHS Plant Finder. a Cistus unless you saw the flower. When I started using it, I soon learnt Among the most attractive are pink never to go to a listed nursery without or white flowers with a dark blotch phoning to check if a plant was at the base of each petal; these are available. Not infrequently it no longer either C. ladanifer or a plant with it in was, or is. Sometimes a nursery’s name its parentage. was inaccurate. Growing from the Canary Islands Fortunately, I got to hear about (where there are at least four endemic Robert Page, then a Collection Holder. species) right across Spain, Portugal, Bob visited us and immediately sorted France, Italy, Albania and Greece to out some names. He has a highly Turkey and across north Africa, the authoritative knowledge of the genus genus has about 21 species and about (and of Halimium and × Halimiocistus) 55 natural hybrids. It is often fertile and and a superb website is naturally promiscuous – Linnaeus (https://cistuspage.org.uk). must have been delighted. This causes problems of identification with self- I also had a good working relationship seedings in a garden collection from with the wonderful Chelsea Physic many different sources. Garden; when it gave up its National Collection status it generously passed GREEK TREASURES to me its “spares”; Bob also gave plants. My National Plant Collection® came about thus. I have been an By 2004 my Collection was more or less archaeologist and academic working complete, so it seemed worth applying and directing excavations on Crete for Collection status, which was granted. for more than 50 years. I have a Unfortunately, chiefly because nurseries parallel interest in the island’s botany, no longer stock cistus to anything like its botanical history and in the local the level they did in the 1990s and collection of wild plants for food. early 2000s, the Collection is not as complete as it then was. The garden is The distribution of cistus is not private but visitors are welcome subject uniform across the Mediterranean. to arrangement. May mornings are the Crete has four species: Cistus creticus best time since cistus lose their flowers (unsurprisingly); the beautiful C. through the day. parviflorus with its relatively small pink flowers and leaves gently rasping to RAKING IN RESIN the touch; and two white-flowering Highly aromatic resin ladanum is plants, C. salviifolius (widespread) exuded by the leaves and young stems and C. monspeliensis (standard form of some cistus, mainly C. ladanifer, but now seemingly confined to one C. creticus, C. monspeliensis, in the location). Three other Cistaceae are warmest and sunniest weather. 25 PLANT EXPERT Marta Michalak / Palmstead Nursery © Marta Michalak / Palmstead

Cistus × lenis ‘Grayswood Pink’

In Crete this has been collected from C. creticus and exported for centuries. GROWING CONDITIONS This is done by dragging a rake with Cistus grow easily in well-drained long thongs over the bushes – very soil with sunny aspect. In Crete hard work – or by letting goats browse they prefer metamorphic soils but through the bushes and cutting off do grow on limestone. Our soil is their beards when enough ladanum has neutral (pH). clung to them. Herodotus describes My plants are left to grow to these methods in the 5th century BC. natural size. C. × lenis ‘Grayswood On 17 October 1998 a villager from Pink’ can be cut back and others the only village where ladanum is still lightly trimmed. Otherwise they collected handed a lump to me. I asked need no attention and are pest him how he came by it. “By cutting it free. They happily attract bees. from the hair of my goat,” he replied. All except Canary Island species Professor Warren holds the Cistus and (or their hybrids) are frost hardy Halimium incl × Halimiocistus Collection at to several degrees. Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire 26 RECOMMENDATIONS PROPAGATION • C. × dansereaui ‘Jenkyn Place’. Vegetative (cuttings) or controlled Attractive blotches and unique in pollination (for new cultivars). In its long flowering season a garden with different species • C. fernandesiae ‘Anne Palmer’. from different locations or sources, AGM. Beautiful pink flowers, but identification of plants grown slightly straggly growing habit from collected seeds is likely to be problematic: the pollinated plant is • C. ladanifer (and any of its of course known, but which species cultivars). Impressive large white was the pollinator? Backcrosses are or blotched blooms. Can grow to also possible. 3m in height • C. × laxus ‘Snow White’. Easily grown and with masses of white flowers. Can get large, one of mine is 8.5m in width • C. parviflorus. Relatively low growing. Delicate pink flowers RHS/ Tim Sandall © RHS/ Tim and quite small greyish green leaves, slightly rasping to the touch • C. × rodiaei ‘Jessabel’. The finest of the deep reddish pink blooms, with dark blotches Many more could be recommended. Nurseries must always be contacted in advance about availability. RHS/ Tim Sandall © RHS/ Tim

Cistus × dansereaui ‘Jenkyn Place’ Cistus × laxus ‘Snow White’ 27