Shrub
Cliffrose
Purshia stansburiana (syn. Purshia mexicana var. stansburiana)
A craggy evergreen that fills the desert air with sweet rose-like fragrance in spring.
- Pollinator
- Native
- Evergreen
- Fragrant
Quick facts
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 4–8
- Water
- Very low once established
- Sun
- Full sun
- Size
- 6–10 ft tall × 6–8 ft wide
- Bloom & interest
- Fragrant cream-to-pale-yellow rose-like flowers in spring, then feathery seed plumes
- Plant type
- Shrub
- Native range
- Native to the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin (UT, AZ, NM, NV, CO, CA)
Why we recommend it
A fragrant, pollinator-rich evergreen shrub of the red-rock country that thrives on rainfall alone in rocky, alkaline soil.
Best regions: High DesertGreat BasinSouthwest
How to grow it
Watering to establish
Water every 1–2 weeks the first summer, then stop.
Pruning
Little needed; can be shaped lightly after bloom.
Soil
Rocky or sandy, well-drained, alkaline soil. Deer browse it.
Pairs well with
Read more
Where to buy
Shop Cliffrose from trusted growers. For the best selection of xeric plants, try a mail-order specialist or ask a local independent nursery.
- High Country Gardens (opens in a new tab)Xeric specialist
- Nature Hills Nursery (opens in a new tab)Wide selection
- American Meadows (opens in a new tab)Perennials & seeds
- Etsy (opens in a new tab)Small growers
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