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perennial

Woolly Cinquefoil

Potentilla megalantha

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Woolly Cinquefoil (Potentilla megalantha) at Parkway Gardens

Woolly Cinquefoil flowers

Woolly Cinquefoil flowers

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Height:  12 inches

Spacing:  9 inches

Sunlight:  full sun  partial shade 

Hardiness Zone:  2

Description:

A compact and popular selection with showy yellow flowers in late spring and dark green fuzzy foliage; benefits from a hard prune after flowering to maintain shape; hardy, tough and adaptable to all conditions, but dislikes wet soils

Ornamental Features

Woolly Cinquefoil features showy yellow cup-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to early summer. Its small tomentose ferny compound leaves remain dark green in colour throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Woolly Cinquefoil is a dense herbaceous perennial with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Woolly Cinquefoil is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Mass Planting
  • Rock/Alpine Gardens
  • Border Edging
  • General Garden Use
  • Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Woolly Cinquefoil will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 9 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to dry locations, and dislikes excessive moisture. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is native to parts of North America. It can be propagated by division.

Woolly Cinquefoil is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Massing  Rock  Edging  Garden  Container 
Applications
Flowers  Attracts Wildlife 
Ornamental Features

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