PlantFiles: Jupiter's Beard, Keys to Heaven
Centranthus ruber 'Alba'

Very useful for xeriscaping in SoCal. Plants respond well to shearing and quickly refill and rebloom. In shade or rich, moist soil, the plants will flop and need staking. This plant never seems to be without flowers, and the warm white color blends with almost anything. However, in light sandy soil, this plant is a terrible reseeder. Deadheading is difficult because some of the flowers on each stem are going to seed while others are still blooming. Not a low-maintenance plant for tidy gardens.

I've grown C. Alba for 3 years now, in the dry, hot strip between my driveway and house. It is not what I call a dominant plant personality, but rather a lovely plant to have as a pleasant filler. I deadhead it and get another period of bloom, each period being approx 5 weeks. Each midsummer I have found one or two seedlings, which I welcome...contrary to what some have written, it certainly is not an agressive self-seeder, at least not in my northwest Arkansas garden. I recommend C. Alba and hope to have it in my garden for the duration. Kind rgds. :-)

Supposedly a bit shorter (and perhaps stouter???) than the red form, this cultivar is sold as white, but some sources indicate it can be more off-white to pale pink.