My landscaper has planted several Cistus marked Cistus x purpurea. He said it was a solid colored [pink/lavender] flower without spots at the base of petals. I have spent hours searching for a photo, all photos that refer to purpurea are spotted. They also are
referred to as orchid rock rose. Once there was a picture of a unspotted shrub, referred to as Cistus and next to it was a spotted one that had the purpurea label. Can you shed some light?
Also planted is Nandina domestica “Royal Princess.” There is hardly any information available on my search for this. It appears to be pretty, but I did read that outside of Seattle, some nurseries on the west coast stopped selling it. Should I anticipate a problem with this plant ? I also read that in some eastern states Nandina domestica is invasive.
Here is what I found on the web page of the Royal Horticultural Society.
The correct name is Cistus x purpureus. It has deep pink flowers with burgundy blotches at the base of the petals.
The Cistus website (a British site), in addition to its gallery of pictures of different species of Cistus, has some information about misnamed plants, which may be what you and your landscaper encountered.
Here is information from The National Gardening Association about Nandina domestica ‘Royal Princess.’
Here is an excerpt from San Marcos Growers site:
Nandina domestica ‘Royal Princess’ (Heavenly Bamboo) – This is an upright growing shrub to 6 to 8 feet tall has very lacy foliage. Pinkish white flowers bloom in clusters at the ends of branches in the late spring and summer followed by a heavy set of red berries ( notably heavier than most Nandina cultivars). The foliage turns to burgundy in spring and later a orange-red in fall. Branching stands stiffly upright unlike typical Nandina domestica and the foliage has a much finer texture. Plant in sun or shade. Tolerates fairly dry conditions but looks better when given water occasionally. It is hardy to about 10 degrees F.
Nandina is widely grown in our area, and so far has not exhibited the
invasive properties it has in the Southern U.S. Several cultivars are
listed on the Great Plant Picks website, which is created by local
gardening experts, so I am assuming there should not be a problem with
growing it here. If you are still concerned about it, the main way it
becomes invasive is from the berries setting seed and spreading. You
could plant native ornamentals in its place, if you wish. Here are links
to information about native plant landscaping:
Washington Native Plant Society
PlantNative.org
King County’s Native Plant Guide