Potentilla

Potentilla (Cinquefoil) is the botanical name for a group of hardy perennials and shrubs originally found in North America, the European mountains and northern Asia. These plants vary in height from 8 inches to 2 feet. They have pretty foliage and a bunch of saucer-shaped flowers. There are tall kinds suitable for planting in borders and dwarf varieties, which are excellent for the rock garden. P. nepalensis 'Miss Willlmott' forms clumps of green leaves palmately divided into 5 toothed leaflets. The cup-shaped pink flowers have cherry red centers and are borne on top of thin, branching stems during the summer. P. 'Gibson's Scarlet' has dark green, palmate leaves, which resemble those of the Strawberry. Throughout the summer, a profusion of bright scarlet flowers are produced. P. megalantha has large, pale green, palmate leaves with 3 downy leaflets. An abundance of rich yellow flowers are produced during the summer. P. fruticosa is a shrubby kind growing 2 or 3 feet high. It produces large yellow flowers, somewhat resembling single Roses, in late May and continuing on for many weeks.

Pot Cultivation

Grow these plants in any moderately fertile, cool, moist soil that has good drainage. They will most likely die during the winter if they are grown in heavy, clayey soil that becomes very wet. Plant them in a sunny or slightly shady location. Those suited for the rock garden prefer fairly sandy soil.

Propagation

These plants can be increased by seeds or division in the spring or fall. Seeds can be sown in flats of sifted sandy soil and placed in a slightly heated greenhouse or cold frame. They may also be sown directly outdoors. The shrubs are propagated in late summer by taking shoots, 3 or 4 inches long, and inserting them in a closed frame or a propagating frame in a greenhouse for several weeks. Keep the rooted cuttings in the frame during the winter and when well-rooted, transplant separately to 3-inch pots. They can be planted out in the spring. It a frame isn't available, insert the cuttings in a bed of sandy soil in a border outside and cover with a hand light or bell jar and shade form sunshine.