Growing Sun Roses

• Ideally, sun rose plants should be grown outside on a soil surface between late autumn or before the first frost of spring, says Plant Biology. It's vital for the soil to have good drainage. It's preferable for the sun roses to grow in the more sunny areas of a garden. Sun roses typically grow a height of about 12 inches.
  
  Sun roses grown indoors should be prepared about eight weeks in advance of spring and planted after the last frost of spring. It usually takes sun roses about three weeks to germinate at a temperature between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Plant Biology.
  
  

Caring for Sun Roses

• Although sun roses help beautify a garden, the perennials are not simple to maintain. Sun roses are short-lived plants, as they live for only about five years before dying. One way to get a second bloom is to cut back about a third of the plant after the bloom is completed so it becomes "shapely," says Plant Biology. Or, a gardener can just remove the plant altogether after it has finished blooming.
  
  A way to shelter the plants from cooler weather is to plant a few boughs of evergreens near them. The evergreens will provide coverage for the sun roses, according to the About Flowers website.
  
  

Colors

• The plant's foliage is either silver or green, and the varieties in cultivation consist of rose, crimson, purple, white or yellow flowers in several shades. More than 100 species of the helianthemum plant are native to Asia and Europe. Quite a few hybrids of sun roses are bred for people who desire all sorts of colors. Some of the more popular colors of hybrid sun roses include pink, peach, copper and tangerine, notes National Public Radio.
  
  

Native Land

• The sun rose is native to both the United States and to Europe, especially in the southern countries of the continent, according to About Flowers. A large portion of the perennial is found in Spain due to the dry soil and amount of sunshine.
  
  

A Threatened Plant

• The plant is threatened by a loss of habitat even though gardeners grow the plant in their gardens. In the past, many people have picked the perennials to use as herbal remedies and supplements, according to Washington State University. At least two states--Kentucky and Tennessee--have identified the sun rose as a state-protected plant. Other states are currently monitoring the plants. Herbalists now cultivate their own plants grown from seed.