Shrubby Cinquefoil 'Tangerine'

Shrubby Cinquefoil 'Tangerine' (Potentilla fruticosa 'Tangerine') earns its name honestly: the yellow flowers carry a warm copper-orange wash over them, like tangerine peel in the sun. A dense cushion of a shrub with small grey-green pinnate leaves, it flowers without a pause from late spring into September.

This is a plant for places that want colour and no fuss at all: borders, city and courtyard beds, coastal plantings and corners kept for butterflies and bees. The bush reaches only 0.5-1 m, and what sets it apart from the white 'Abbotswood' and the plain yellow cultivars is exactly that warm orange tone.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The cultivar takes its name from the warm copper-orange flush over the yellow petals.
• Dimensions: 0.5-1 m tall and 0.5-1 m wide at 10 years.
• Hardiness: Hardy down to -45 °C (USDA zone 2).
• Flowering: From late May to September the shrub is covered in yellow flowers dusted with copper-orange.
• Light: Sun or partial shade; in partial shade the flower colour holds longer than in full sun.
• Soil: Takes any garden soil in its stride - chalk, clay, loam or sand, acid, neutral or alkaline.
• Watering: Water moderately; on moister soil the flowers last longer and fade less.
• Care: It takes pruning easily (group 10) and roots readily from softwood cuttings in early summer.
• Landscape use: A fine addition to city and courtyard gardens, coastal plantings, cottage borders and wildlife gardens.