
I like the challenge of telling one rock rose from another, at a glance. But it isn’t straightforward. Species grow close together and intermixed, strands of this and that entwined. The leaves are distinctive but sometimes you have to trace a leaf to its flower to be sure of ownership. The detail is a delight. The rock rose calyx is red, opening to sepals with a reddish stripe. And closing against the weather to show pattern and colour. So fresh buds lurk rosy beneath the flowers. The stem is rosy too. Rain drops linger amongst the flowers, keeping them fresh.