Potentilla fruticosa Lemon Meringue - Shrubby Cinquefoil

Potentilla fruticosa 'Lemon Meringue' is a robust shrub, born, raised and tested in Canada.  It is therefore extremely hardy. This lovely variety has a compact habit and charming double blooms. Throughout the summer, flowers appear like pale lemon yellow wild roses. They stand out beautifully against a fine dark green foliage. Round and dense, this potentilla can fit anywhere, in flower beds but also in large pots on the patio. It is an undemanding plant and easy to grow in well-drained soil, tolerating poor and dry soils in summer.

Potentilla fruticosa is a woody shrub belonging to the Rosaceae family. The 'Lemon Meringue' variety, is a deciduous and dense shrub of small size, measuring 80 cm (32in) to 1 m (3ft) in all directions. It forms a bush with a very rounded habit, with many branches. Its foliage is deciduous, the small size of the narrow leaflets gives a beautiful lightness to the dark green silhouette. A slight white hairiness gives a silky and fuzzy appearance. Its delicate flowers, resembling small double wild roses, are cup-shaped and 3 cm (1in) in diameter, with ten pale yellow petals and golden stamens. The abundant flowering, starting in May/June and ending with the first frost, if the autumn is mild, is more intense in early summer and then loses some of its vigour during the season.

In the sun, the potentillas will deliver flowers with a bright colour, in partial shade the colour will be slightly less intense. Potentillas are carefree plants that flower generously, and beautifully coloured.  They are ideal for brightening up the garden or balcony. With their Scottish rose-like appearance and their very modest requirements, they can be used in multiple ways and planted everywhere: in flower beds, rockeries, borders, low hedges, pots...in most climates and in any well-drained soil.

They will have a beautiful effect when combined with Dahlias, Iris germanica, Achilleas, Gaura, Rudbeckias. They will ideally associate with Mediterranean plants (Lavender, Rosemary, Cistus, Fennel, Helichrysum, Teucrium), for a warm and fragrant atmosphere. To create a very contemporary scene, they can be paired with plants with a more slender or tousled habit (Phormiums, Grasses, Euphorbias, Crocosmias). On a slope or rockery, where they will be ideally placed if your garden soil is heavy or clay, they can also be associated with dwarf or creeping Conifers, creeping Ceanothus or even groundcover and landscape roses.