A Utah native, cliffrose is an evergreen shrub growing with an upright habit to 6 to 10 feet tall and about half as wide. Grey-green leathery foliage is deeply lobed and finely textured, and aromatic when crushed. Creamy white, fragrant, rose-like flowers bloom April through June, and are followed by 2-inch long hairy, curly plumes that persist throughout the summer and fall. Bark is reddish grey with mature bark displaying interesting shreddy character. An attractive native shrub for low-water, poor soil areas; a tough hedge.
Grow in full sun in well-drained soils; prefers gravelly conditions and tolerates poor soils. Its form is generally upright and tidy and so requires little, if any pruning. It can become unruly and twiggy if over-watered. It can survive without irrigation once established; it resents being over-watered or over-head watered. Hardy to USDA Zone 4.