Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa)

At a glance

Lifecycle: Perennial (hardy)
Exposure: Full sun
Frost limit: −23.3 °C

Cultivation

Easily grown in a well-drained loam, preferring a position in full sun but tolerating shade. A very cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -25°c. A very ornamental shrub. Polymorphic. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer. Dislikes growing under trees, especially Juglans species. Plants are usually dioecious but hermaphrodite forms are also known. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 3 - 5cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Pot up in the autumn if possible and overwinter in a cold frame. Softwood cuttings taken in the early summer. Easy.

Edible uses

A tea is made from the dried leaves.

Medicinal uses

The leaves are astringent. The juice of the root is used in the treatment of indigestion.

Material uses

Can be grown as a medium size informal hedge. Some forms, notably 'Longacre', 'Elizabeth' and 'Gold Drop' have a dense spreading habit and make good ground cover plants. A useful plant for controlling soil erosion. The dry, flaky bark is used as a tinder for friction fires. (fires started by rubbing 2 pieces of wood together very fast). The powdered plant is used as an incense. The leaves are used as a packing material in pillows.

Habitat

Damp rocky ground, usually on limestone.

Native range

Europe, including Britain, from Sweden south and east to the Pyrenees, N. and C. Asia to Japan.