Potentilla fruticosa 'Goldfinger' (Shrubby Cinquefoil) – Yellow Flowering Shrub (2L Pot)

Potentilla 'Goldfinger' is a shrubby cinquefoil covered in large golden yellow flowers from late spring until autumn, one of the longest flowering shrubs you can buy.

It builds a neat mound of about a metre tall by a little more across, clothed in small, dark green pinnate leaves, and it flowers on and on rather than in one burst. The flowers are among the biggest in the group and bees work them from June to October, so it earns its place in a wildlife garden as well as a border.

This is one of the hardiest shrubs there is, fine in cold, windy and exposed gardens and on the coast. Plant it in full sun or partial shade on almost any soil that drains, clay and sand included. It works as a low informal edge along a path, at the front of a mixed border, or in a container on a patio.

Give it a light prune each spring to stop it going twiggy and bare in the middle, which is the one thing that spoils an old plant. It holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit. Supplied as an established plant in a 2L pot.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Shrubby cinquefoil
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: About 1m tall by 1.2m wide
• Growth Habit: Compact, bushy, mound forming deciduous shrub
• Perfect For: Borders, low informal edging, mixed planting, cottage gardens and containers
• Foliage: Small, dark green pinnate leaves
• Flowering Time: Late spring to autumn, roughly June to October
• Planting Position: Full sun or partial shade, including cold, windy and coastal gardens. Fully hardy, fine on clay and happy in a container.
• Soil Type: Any soil that drains, including clay and sand
• Hardiness: Fully hardy anywhere in Britain
• Maintenance: Light prune each spring to stop it going bare in the middle.
• Seasonal Interest: Summer and autumn
• Type: Hardy deciduous shrub