The Endless Blooms of Potentilla, Shrubby Cinquefoil

Sometimes you have to get out of your “zone” (and your Zone) to see how plants are best used.

A two-night summer escape to ski country got me interested in a shrubby gem that is uncommon where I live: Potentilla, or Shrubby cinquefoil. At my very pleasant accommodations, I got to see how landscapers had used Potentilla to decorate rockscapes and turn a stone building foundation into something attractive. Then I saw more Potentilla at residences around town, looking just as beautiful as the flowering plants that had been dug in by the professionals.

Potentilla, or Shrubby cinquefoil, is a long-flowering, low-growing beauty that can handle weather extremes, to a great extent. Ideal for Zones 2-7, Potentilla lights up the landscape with small, bright blooms that appear on a nice puff of foliage. Countless tiny compound leaves covering the stems of Shrubby cinquefoil provide a nice backdrop to its blooms. To remember what a Cinquefoil is, in general, think back to French 101: "un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq (five)." With five heart-shaped petals forming each flower (unless you are viewing a variety with double blooms), there is no mistaking this beauty. The flowers look delicate; the foliage is intricate; and the stems, strong. 

Shrubby cinquefoil with bright yellow blooms was used as the primary planting around my home-away-from-home. Its simple flowers in the happiest sun tone were similar to the wild Buttercups blooming on mountainsides in the distance. But on Potentilla, these bright yellow saucers stood higher and in multiples, decorating healthy greenery beneath.

The landscapers had combined the yellow-flowering Shrubby cinquefoil with a variety that bloomed in the palest pink. Yellow was the mainstay color, and pink was the accent. The Potentilla was planted with other tough plants of different heights and shades. Black-Eyed Susans, white Shasta Daisies, Hardy Geraniums in the perfect bluish purple, and pink and white annuals met to light up the grayish stones and hardscape that surrounded them. The buildings at my accommodation were beautiful, but the landscape is what turned them into a resort. And the landscape made great use of Shrubby cinquefoil.

Now I had seen Shrubby cinquefoil (along with a Creeping cinquefoil, which is a little different) in garden catalogs, but I do not recall seeing it out in the “world” around me back home. And although the information was available to me and all my friends on the Worldwide Web, I had not read anything about the length of time Potentilla, or Shrubby Cinquefoil, would be flower-clad. Staying in bloom from the start of summer to fall (October in some Zones), it is no wonder this plant that reaches three feet in height and has a similar spread was chosen as a mainstay planting at my weekend accommodations. 

Potentilla, or Shrubby cinquefoil, likes full sun and just enough shade each day to provide a short respite. I have read that it does best in moist, fertile soil with good drainage. But gardeners also share that it does well just about anywhere, handling rock-filled and clay-type soils without missing a beat.

Some gardeners write about mulching Potentilla. But the biggest tip from those who are in-the-know about this plant seems to be that it does best when cut back hard at the end of the season. And as with virtually all shrubby plants, damaged stems should be removed so that light can reach some of the interior of each shrubby mound when a new season’s growth appears. 

Some varieties of Potentilla will stay evergreen in certain Zones while others are deciduous. And although the flowers I saw were yellow and pink, Shrubby cinquefoil does come in other shades that can add to the palette. But beyond that, this strong little plant with great deer-resistance seems to be able to care for itself.  

Yes, it was good to get out of my “zone”. The getaway meant new sights, new experiences. Now it is great to be back home where I can determine where my garden needs long-blooming and cheery looking Shrubby cinquefoil. No souvenirs from this trip were needed. This strong plant will help me to remember it.