Shrubby Cinquefoil 'Pink Queen'

Shrubby cinquefoil 'Pink Queen' (Potentilla fruticosa 'Pink Queen') is a small green cushion strewn with soft pink flowers. The blooms are open and saucer-shaped, a pale rose tone, scattered right across the bush above fine, pinnate green foliage.

It flowers from May to October, keeping a border in colour long after its neighbours have finished. It reaches only 0.5-1 m in height and width, so it suits a low hedge, a city courtyard or a coastal garden equally well. Against the classic white-flowered 'Abbotswood' the difference is simply the pink, on the very same compact frame.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The RHS lists this cultivar as perfect for pollinators: its open, saucer-shaped flowers are easily reached by bees and other pollinating insects.
• Dimensions: At 10 years 0.5-1 m tall and 0.5-1 m wide.
• Hardiness: Hardy down to -40 °C (USDA zone 3).
• Flowering: From May to October the shrub is covered in pale pink saucer-shaped flowers - blooming almost without a break.
• Light: Full sun gives the most generous flowering; in partial shade it still grows, but flowers noticeably less.
• Soil: Happily takes any well-drained soil, acid or alkaline - chalk, clay, loam or sand.
• Watering: Moderate watering; established shrubs cope well with drought, and the one thing they dislike is standing water.
• Care: Trim in late winter if needed - it responds willingly to pruning and asks for little else.
• Landscape use: A low hedge, a flower border, a town courtyard, a coastal or naturalistic garden - at home in all of them.