Illustration
Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa
Also called cinquefoil
Potentilla blooms from June through September.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Potentilla
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 2–7. Expect it to reach about 3 ft tall and 3.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (not yet checked).
No toxicity note is on file for Potentilla. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Potentilla
Plant Potentilla in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 2 to 7, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Potentilla get?
3 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult3.5 ftwideSee Potentilla in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Potentilla
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Potentilla about 3.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Potentilla to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Potentilla's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 4 published sources on July 30, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPotentilla fruticosaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionDasiphora fruticosa, the accepted name for Potentilla fruticosaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- The Morton Arboretumshrubby cinquefoil, Potentilla fruticosaheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterDasiphora fruticosaheight, spread, sun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 10 varieties across 5 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
- Abbotswood
- Goldfinger
- Happy Face Yellow
- Mango Tango
- McKay's White
- Orange Whisper
- Pink Beauty
- Pink Whisper
- Red Ace
- Tangerine
Compare every variety in the Potentilla group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbotswood | White | Jun–Sep | Zones 2–7 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Goldfinger | Yellow | Jun–Sep | Zones 2–7 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Happy Face Yellow | Yellow | Jun–Sep | Zones 2–7 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Mango Tango | Orange | Jun–Sep | Zones 2–7 | Full sun | 2 ft × 2.5 ft |
| McKay's White | White | Jun–Sep | Zones 2–7 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Orange Whisper | Orange | Jun–Sep | Zones 2–7 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 3 ft |
| Pink Beauty | Pink | Jun–Sep | Zones 2–7 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Pink Whisper | Pink | Jun–Sep | Zones 2–7 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 3 ft |
| Potentillathis page | Yellow | Jun–Sep | Zones 2–7 | Full sun | 3 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Red Ace | Red | Jun–Sep | Zones 2–7 | Full sun | 2 ft × 2.5 ft |
| Tangerine | Orange | Jun–Sep | Zones 2–7 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 3 ft |
Good to know about Potentilla
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
One of the most cold-hardy landscape shrubs: reliably hardy to USDA zone 2, thriving where little else does, in subarctic northern Canada and high alpine elevations. per NC State and USDA
How drought-tolerant is it?
Garden sources call it drought-tolerant once established, but in the wild it grows in fens and wet ground. Water it through its first season, then let it be. per NC State and USDA
Hates heat and humidity
It dislikes warm nights and does poorly in zone 7 and warmer, especially the humid Southeast. A cool-summer plant: treat hot regions as marginal. per NC State
Strongly deer-resistant
Deer browse it only lightly and prefer other forage; mature leaves are coarse and astringent. A good pick where deer pressure runs high. per NC State
Long-season pollinator plant
Its long summer-to-fall bloom feeds butterflies, bumblebees, and specialist mining bees. A genuine insectary plant, not just an ornamental. per NC State
Blooms on new wood
It flowers on the current season's growth, so prune in late winter or early spring before buds break. Every few years, cut a scraggly plant back hard. per Iowa State
What pairs well with Potentilla
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Rock Cress
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
False Indigo
Shares full sun and low water; opens in late spring and overlaps into this one's season; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Creeping Phlox
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border.
Wisteria
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; purple against yellow, for contrast.
Switchgrass
Shares full sun and low water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; both are strong pollinator plants; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Flowering Crabapple
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; stands well above at 20 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
Maiden Grass
Shares full sun and low water; overlaps, then carries the display into mid fall; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 6 ft, for the layer behind it.
Lilac
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 10 ft, for the layer behind it.
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