Hedging Plants – Potentilla Fruticosa

Name – also known as cinquefoil.

Description and uses – this is a deciduous shrub growing to an ultimate size of 1.2m by 1.2m. It has sasses of bright buttercup-yellow, saucer-shaped flowers, 1 inch across, from late spring to mid-autumn which stand out brightly over dark green leaves, as a result, it forms a very colourful informal hedge. These flowers are dioecious (which means individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant - so both male and female plants must be grown if you want viable seed to produce more plants) and are noted for attracting wildlife. The plant prefers moist soil and full sun, although it can tolerate drought and strong winds but not maritime exposure, in addition it can tolerate semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. Potentilla is a useful plant for controlling soil erosion, the dry, flaky bark is used as a tinder for friction fires (fires started by rubbing two pieces of wood together very fast) and the powdered plant is used as an incense.

Maintenance and problems – Trim in spring before flowering to maintain an informal hedge of two to four feet tall and around three feet in width. One good and little known fact about potentilla is that it is almost never troubled by browsing deer or rabbits. It does dislike growing under trees.

Hedging potentilla photograph by hectorthebat, used under a creative commons attribution licence

hedging yew, hedging berberis, hedging box, hedging cotoneaster, hedging currant, hedging dogwood, hedging edible, hedging euonymus, hedging gorse, hedging guelder rose, hedging hawthorn, hedging hazel, hedging holly, hedging hornbeam, hedging juniper, hedging laurel, hedging Lavender, hedging leyland cypress, hedging photinia, hedging potentilla, hedging privet, hedging pyracantha, hedging rose, hedging sloe, hedging thuja