Potentillas come is a wide range of colours, including the bold red of herbaceous type ‘Gibson’s Scarlet’
It’s time to rediscover
Potentillas
Under used and under-appreciated, cinquefoils have huge garden potential and will bring months of colour. Make 2020 the year you give them a try, says Louise Curley
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ARTICULARLY popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the celebrated French plant breeder Victor Lemoine created many new hybrids, potentillas used to be widely grown. But as tastes changed they fell out of favour, and these days seeing them in the garden has become a bit of a novelty – which is a great shame as there are few plants as unfussy and low maintenance, or as free-flowering. Potentillas come from a wide range of habitats, including dry, rocky places, bogs and acid fens, sandy soils and grassland, in Europe, the Himalayas, North America and even the Arctic. The two types most commonly grown in gardens are the deciduous shrubby ones – with a woody framework of stems covered in wild rose-like flowers in summer – and herbaceous perennials that emerge from below ground in spring, with strawberry-like leaves and blooms. There are also alpine potentillas that are perfect for troughs and rockeries. They’re a member of the rose family 20 AMATEUR GARDENING 1 FEBRUARY 2020
– hence the flowers – and the common name cinquefoil refers to the five leaflets that make up each actual leaf. New name Recently, Potentilla fruticosa, the shrubby cinquefoil, has had its name changed to Dasiphora fruticosa. However this change has yet to be widely accepted and, for the moment at least, you’re still most likely to see the plants labelled as potentillas. Both the shrubby and herbaceous types come in a good range of colours – some in pastel shades of pink, apricot and lemon yellow, others in vibrant reds and oranges. Shrubby potentillas make neat, rounded forms, whereas the
herbaceous perennials divide into two groups: those with an upright habit and those with lax stems that naturally sprawl. The latter look lovely planted to tumble over the edges of paths. For a contemporary feel, combine potentillas with ornamental grasses; or use hot, fiery-coloured ones in exotic planting schemes alongside lush foliage, vibrant dahlias and Verbena bonariensis. And try underplanting shrubby potentillas with low-growing perennials like longflowering Geranium ‘Bill Wallis’. Spring, when the ground starts to warm up, is the ideal time to plant them. So use the coming weeks to rediscover these fantastic plants, which will add summer-long colour to your garden.
Where to buy Ashwood Nurseries ashwoodnurseries.com 01384 401996 Claire Austin claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk 01686 670342 Edrom Nurseries edrom-nurseries.co.uk 01890 771386 Peter Beales Roses classicroses.co.uk 01953 454707
