An Unexpected Rose

The first summer we arrived in Santa Fe I noticed these big fluffy pink shrubs growing by roadsides and in arroyos and I thought they were so striking. As I learned about plants unfamiliar to my New England gardening experience, I found out these are Apache Plumes. They grow everywhere.

Photo from Santa Fe Botanical Garden, Janice Tucker

I admit I thought native desert adapted tough shrubs that survive to 30 below and live in rocks and sand without water or care were tough ugly things, but this plant proves otherwise. It's delicate and wispy and fluffy and such a soft pink. 

And it is in the rose family. You can see the rose resemblance in the flower.

Photo from Santa Fe Botanical Garden, Janice Tucker

Later the tiny white rose flowers set pink plumes of seedheads that cover the plant in feathers.

It is botanically named Fallugia paradoxa. Fallugia for an 1800s botanist and paradoxa, Latin for "unexpected". It's not what a rose is expected to look like. The common name, Apache Plume, is because the showy pink plumes look like Indian feathered headdresses I guess.

Photo from Santa Fe Botanical Garden, Janice Tucker

I planted a few Apache Plumes out in the sandy wasteland that borders our driveway, but they are nothing to look at yet. They take a while to get going. 

The botanical garden has several mature ones and I can always admire wild ones just by taking a walk along the arroyos near us. Apache Plumes are also planted in the city along streets and to keep them in check, they are pruned. They take pruning well, although big old wild ones doing their own thing in sandy washes look wonderful.

I've never been a fan of traditional garden rose bushes or fancy tea roses -- although they grow well here. I like this rose cousin better, so perfectly adapted to where it lives and such an unexpected sight with its delicate flowers and pink fluffiness.