Potentilla fruticosa Elizabeth (= Sutters gold)

The Potentilla fruticosa Elisabeth (synonym Sutters Gold) is a timeless variety of shrubby potentilla that is unmatched in its floribundity and the vibrant colour of its small yellow flowers. They bloom abundantly and for months, from late spring to late summer, on a well-bushed and nicely rounded bush, highlighted by finely cut foliage of a beautiful bright green. Easy to grow, hardy, requiring little maintenance, the shrubby potentilla fits everywhere, in flower beds but also in large pots on the terrace. It is a most rewarding plant, and almost foolproof in well-drained soil. 

The Potentilla fruticosa is a woody shrub that belongs to the Rosaceae family. The 'Elisabeth' variety was obtained in 1950 by Hiller nurseries in Great Britain. The plant has a bushy, regular and rounded habit and a dense growth. At maturity, it will measure approximately 1 m (3 ft 4 in) in all directions. Its slender and ramified branches, brown in colour, peeling with age, bear deciduous foliage, which falls in autumn. The small size of the leaves, cut into narrow leaflets, gives a beautiful lightness to the silhouette of a bright green. A light white hairiness on the underside of the leaves gives a silky and slightly silver aspect to the foliage. Its delicate flowers are cup-shaped and 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter, with five golden yellow petals surrounding a small orange throat. Under the effect of the sun, the color fades, creating a range of yellow on the shrub. The abundant flowering, starting in May and lasting until the arrival of autumn, is generally more intense in early summer, then loses some of its vigor during the season, depending on the freshness of the soil.

In full sun, the potentillas will deliver flowers with more vibrant colours, in partial shade, the color will be slightly less vivid but the flowering will be longer. Carefree plants, generously floriferous and pleasantly colored, potentillas are ideal for brightening up the garden or balcony, sustainably and effortlessly. With their Scottish rose-like appearance and their very modest requirements, they can be used in multiple ways and installed anywhere; in flower beds, rockeries, borders, low hedges, containers. In most climates and in any well-drained soil.