Henfield Brilliant Rock Rose (Helianthemum)

‘Henfield Brilliant’ Rock Rose is an underused beauty in the States despite wider use in Europe. This plant grows into a gently spreading mound of gray-green, oval shaped leaves and remains an attractive evergreen in warmer portions of our region. It defoliates in colder ones and simply flushes a fresh crop of leaves in spring. As spring gives way to summer, this tiny toughie raises dozens of teardrop shaped buds that split open to reveal five-petaled, bright orange, crepe-paper-textured flowers bearing fuzzy, yellow centers. These flowers are bee favorites. This especially xeric woody perennial (sometimes called a subshrub) is best grown on rocky, gravely, or otherwise lean, nutrient poor soils that are well-drained; avoid clays. An excellent plant for crevice gardens, rock gardens, bed edges, problematic, hot and dry spaces, and for spilling over retaining walls.