Potentilla

Botanical/Latin
   Potentilla

Pronunciation
   Po-ten-til-a

Common Name
   Bush Cinquefoil

Hardiness zone range
   2

General Comments
Popular, easy to grow, small, bushy shrubs with masses of brightly colored, single flowers that are carried above fine textured foliage for a long period, from early summer all the way through to the arrival of frost in autumn. They are very hardy and come in a variety of colors, from white through pale pink, and primrose to deep yellows, and shades of orange and red.

Light Preference
Full Sun to Partial shade.

Uses
The hardy, easy to care nature of these versatile and adaptable plants makes them ideal for shrub or mixed borders, for placing in foundation plantings, rock gardens, and raised beds, or massing in low maintenance groupings on banks or hillsides. They are tough, hardy, and quick to establish, so they are ideal for including in open sites and new plantings, filling in while other slower to mature subjects develop.

Culture
They are reliable and adaptable, thriving well in most soils. They cope well with clay, limestone, or gravel-based soils, tolerate a variety of pH levels, and even some drought and light shade. Not surprisingly, they perform best when provided with fertile soils that are rich in organic matter and able to retain moisture in summer; therefore, it is a good idea to incorporate extra peat, composted bark, leaf mold, etc. at planting time, and water well until established. They do not require overly rich fertile conditions, but perform much better when given occasional feed, perhaps a light, occasional trim, and watered. They tolerate drought quite well and even poor infertile soils, but tend to become woody and hard with smaller flowers in these extreme conditions; providing good cultural practices will ensure plenty of luxuriant growth and flowers. They flower on young growths, so if they become a little leggy or thin and woody, they can be trimmed or pruned to encourage fresh, new, bushy growth. The flowering may be delayed slightly, but the resulting growth and improved shape will compensate this. They seldom suffer from any pests or diseases and can be relied upon to grow and prosper without much other care and attention.

Background
Shrubby Potentillas are native to a very wide area across the Northern Hemisphere, from Europe to northern Asia and North America, northwards to Arctic regions. The name stems from the Greek word, Potens, meaning powerful, which refers to its early use as a medicinal herb and ingredient in spells and love potions. The common name, Cinquefoil, is an old Norman-French name referring to the five, segmented leaves; similar country names, like "five fingers" in England and fingerkraut (finger-bush) in Germany, all refer to the finely textured, segmented leaves. Considering the wide natural distribution, it is not surprising that many different forms (of considerable complexity) have been collected and hybridized to produce many hybrids with attractive foliage, neat compact habit, longer flowering periods, and range of flower colors. Of the many cultivars in existence, we have found the following to be consistently good performers: Potentilla 'Abbottswood' is a magnificent little plant with a spreading habit, nice, dark, blue-green foliage, and lots and lots of large white flowers that are continuously produced from late spring until autumn. It is thought to be a selection descended from Potentilla dahurica, a species that is native to Northern China and Siberia that was introduced in 1822. Introduced by Mark Fenwick (1860-1945) and named after his fine garden, Abbottswood, near Stow on the Wold, England, it was awarded an Award of Merit after undergoing trials at the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden at Wisley in southern England. Potentilla 'Goldfinger' is one of the best yellows; it was raised in Holland and thought to be a form of the most widely distributed species, Potentilla fruiticosa. It is a good, vigorous grower with deep, dark green foliage and a nice, compact habit with comparatively large, deep yellow flowers that are produced all season long, from late spring to fall. Potentilla 'Pink Beauty' is a gorgeous little plant with bright, single and semi-double, clear pink flowers. This is a most unusual color for Potentillas (they are predominately yellow), and it is especially pleasant during the first flower flushes of late spring and at periods of duller, cooler weather when the intensity of pink shading is deeper with paler pink shading towards the outer edges of the petals. It is a good, vigorous grower with a refined habit and attractive foliage, and, like the others on our list, carries the flowers throughout the main summer until frost in autumn. It was developed at the University of Manitoba, Department Sciences of Plants by Professor Louis Lenz during the mid 1970's. Potentilla 'Primrose Beauty' is a beauty with foliage that has a silky, grayish (almost silvery) cast that makes a wonderful background to display the soft, primrose-yellow flowers. It is a little bigger growing than most of the others, and makes a nice, full plant that responds well to an occasional shear or trim. It was also raised in Holland by Cannegieter of Hattem. It was awarded an Award of Merit after undergoing trials at the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden at Wisley in 1965, and then an Award of Garden Merit in 1969, and is an ideal plant for softer, soothing, color schemes where pastels and cooler colors reign supreme.

Splendor Suggestions
They are very hardy (withstanding cold, exposed conditions well) and flower for such an incredibly long time that they are great for roof or balcony gardens, large fixed planters, or placed in almost any type of container as long as it has a generous drainage hole and free draining compost. Terracotta pots (or modern, very realistic, plastic look-a-likes), wooden planters, window boxes, or other suitable planters can be positioned on decks, patios, balconies, or even by the front door to make attractive plantings. The attractive foliage blends well with perennials and other evergreens to make permanent plantings, that once planted, can sit outside year round. The soil mass will freeze and expand, so make sure your container is frost proof and try to use larger sizes; the bigger the size, the better (larger soil volume means less temperature fluctuation). They will drop their leaves in autumn, so it will be important to either plant with evergreens or move the containers to a sheltered location bringing them out again in spring.

Companion Plants
The close compact habit and finely textured foliage mean that they can be combined with a host of other plants in a wide variety of garden situations. The rounded habit and long flowering make them ideal for high profile beds with a whole host of perennials and other good shrub performers like Deutzias, Buddleias, Hydrangeas, Weigelas, and plants with attractive, long lasting, attractive foliage like Abelia 'Confetti' (looks great with Potentilla 'Abbotswood' and 'Pink Beauty') and purple foliaged plants like Berberis 'Royal Burgundy', Berberis 'Crimson Pygmy', Cotinus 'Velvet Cloak' Weigela 'Wine & Roses' and 'Midnight Wine', or the relatively new Physocarpus 'Diablo'. Potentilla 'Goldfinger' is good with golden foliaged Spiraeas, especially S. 'Lemon Princess', 'Goldmound', and 'Goldflame', and other yellow flowering plants like Hypericums, Kerria, and Buddleia 'Honeycomb. Potentilla 'Primrose Beauty' works well with these, too, but, as we mentioned earlier, it is superb in pastel and cool colored layouts. The soft blues of Caryopteris, Vitex, some of the Buddleias are fabulous with it; mix in some perennials like Lavenders, Nepetas, Salvia 'May Night' and 'Blue Hill', and the ever reliable Perovoskia and a long flowering design begins to take place. Then think about Coreopsis 'Moonbeam', Helianthemum 'Wisley Primrose' and some white flowering Hydrangeas, Deutzias, Clethras, Iteas, and the fantastic new Buddleia 'White Ball' and a bright, sophisticated composition is assured. Evergreens will be needed to carry the color through the winter and early spring months, so we suggest planting some low ground covering Microbiota, Arctostaphylos, Cotoneasters, Junipers, or the bright golden carpet of Genista 'Vancouver Gold'. Taller growing, broad-leaved evergreens would include some Pieris, Rhododendrons, Buxus (boxwoods), and Ilex (hollies), and maybe the exotic, lance-like leaves and enormous white flower spikes of Yucca 'Golden Sword'.