In gardens, Kuril shrub tea or cinquefoil has been grown for more than 300 years. This species looks best in hedges. Other varieties can be used for curbs, rockeries, alpine slides and flower gardens.
Cinquefoil is a highly branching shrub that can reach up to 1,5 m in height. The plant got its name because of the unusual shape of the leaves.
There are also shrub forms of Kuril tea
Features:
- erect, less often creeping, stems that easily take root in the nodes;
- compound pinnate leaves with 5-7 long hairy leaves;
- single bright yellow, white or pink flowers of five petals and a large number of stamens;
- the fruit is a small nut.
The plant blooms from July to August.
List of main types:
- Shiny. A groundcover with small silvery green leaves and pink flowers. Grows best in dry, sandy or stony soils. Loves the sun.
- Nepalese. Blooms for 6 weeks. Differs in beautiful large flowers of dark pink and red.
- Shrub. A short bush with straight branches. It tolerates a haircut well. Large flowers can be of different colors.
On the basis of these species, breeders have bred a large number of different varieties with large flowers of various shades.
A considerable number of varieties have been created with different shades of yellow. Fawn, golden, cognac flowers of the varieties Kobold, Goldstar, Yellow Bird, Goldfinger attract attention with their large size. The Daydawn cultivar is notable for its delicate peach flower center and a spectacular cream border.
Among the white-flowered varieties, Snowbird stands out – with lush flowers and Veitchii – with contrasting red stamens.
Potentilla varieties with pink flowers prefer to grow in partial shade. In the sun, their delicate petals fade, and in the shade they look too pale. These shrubs are more demanding, but very beautiful. Rose Orleans, Pink Whisper, Princess – each of them is beautiful in its own way.
Orange and red varieties of Potentilla are quite capricious. The most popular of them are Marian Red Robin, Apricot Whisper, Uman. They bloom later than other plants of this species and enliven the garden with their bright colors.
Reviews about the decorative characteristics of these varieties are positive, so any of these plants can become a worthy garden decoration if you learn how to properly care for it.