Potentilla fruticosa Marmalade

Potentilla fruticosa 'Marmalade' is a variety of bushy potentilla with dense vegetation that produces bright orange double flowers. The bush has a naturally compact and rounded habit that does not require pruning. It is adorned with dark green foliage and blooms throughout the summer. Resistant to frost and water-efficient, it thrives in the sun in large borders and in pots on balconies. It is an easy and generous plant that thrives in any well-drained soil.

The Potentilla fruticosa 'Jefmarm' or 'Marmalade' is a recent horticultural creation by Dr. Wilbert Ronald from Jeffries Nursery, near Winnipeg in Canada. It is a woody shrub that belongs to the rose family, just like roses. This 'Marmalade' variety is exceptionally hardy. It has a rounded, bushy habit and particularly dense vegetation. At maturity, the plant will measure approximately 80 cm in all directions. Its slender and branched branches are brown, peel with age, and bear deciduous foliage that disappears in winter. The small size of the leaves, divided into narrow leaflets, gives a beautiful lightness to the dark green silhouette of this plant. The delicate flowers are double cups, well open, with a 2-3 cm diameter. The petals display shades of orange, and golden stamens occupy the centre of the flower. The abundant flowering, starting in June and ending in September, is generally more intense at the beginning of the period. It then loses vigour during the season if the soil is too dry.

In the sun, the bushy potentillas will deliver flowers with more vibrant colours, while in partial shade, the colour will be slightly less intense. These trouble-free plants, generous and beautifully coloured, are ideal for brightening up the garden or balcony effortlessly and sustainably. With their Scottish rose-like appearance and very modest requirements, they can be used in multiple ways and planted anywhere: in flower beds, rockeries, borders, low hedges, containers... Under most climates and in any well-drained soil. The 'Marmalade' potentilla will be particularly striking when paired with bushy salvias in blue, orange, or red colours, along with yarrows, Gauras, globe thistles, Corsican spurge, and low grasses like Stipa tenuifolia. It pairs ideally with 'Hidcote' lavender for a warm and fragrant atmosphere. Potentillas create stunning large borders in front of a screen of evergreen shrubs.