Potentilla fruticosa Red Ace - Shrubby Cinquefoil

The  Potentilla fruticosa 'Red Ace' is a variety of shrubby potentilla with a bushy spread and dense and compact habit, forming a beautifully flowered dome from June to the end of summer. The grey-blue, fine and dense deciduous foliage enhances a generous bicoloured flowering, in small cups of vermilion red with orange reverse. This two-tone effect is nicely accentuated by the fading of flowers exposed to full sun. This plant will bring a very cheerful touch to flowerbeds, rock gardens and balconies throughout a very long summer period! A charming flowering shrub, ideal for beginner gardeners!

Fruticosa potentillas are native to the northern hemisphere and belong to the rosaceae family. Potentilla fruticosa is a subshrub that has produced, with the help of breeders, many charming varieties. 'Red Ace' shows a slower growth than that of other varieties. Wider than it is tall, this shrub measures at maturity approximately 55cm (21.7in) in height and 90cm (35.4in) in spread. It forms a  low and compact bush, with numerous highly branched basal branches. Its deciduous foliage consists of 3cm (1.2in) long, pinnate leaves with narrow leaflets which are grey-blue, turning yellow in autumn. This elegantly cut foliage is covered with a white down, giving it a  silky and silvery appearance. Its delicate flowers, which resemble those of single-flowered roses, are cup-shaped, 2-3cm (0.8 - 1.2in) in diameter, with five bright red petals with orange reverse surrounding golden stamens. A colour that is truly bright and intense in partial shade. The abundant flowering starts in May-June and lasts until the first frost. It should be noted that the flowering is more intense at the beginning of summer and loses some of its vigour during the season.

Easy plants, generously flowered and beautifully coloured, potentillas are ideal for brightening up the garden or balcony, permanently and effortlessly. With their wild rose look and their very modest requirements they can be used in multiple ways: in flowerbeds, rock gardens, borders, low hedges, containers…

Place them at the front of your flowerbeds to quickly obtain brightly coloured flowerbeds, worthy of impressionist paintings. They blend beautifully with the blue flowers of perennial flax and wild chicory, and will have a beautiful effect in the company of Dahlias, German Iris, Yarrows or Rudbeckias. They will associate with Mediterranean plants, such as Lavender, Rosemary or Cistus, for a warm and fragrant atmosphere. For an architectural scene, their compact habit will perfectly match plants with a more slender or tousled appearance (Phormiums, Grasses, Euphorbias, Fennels). Ideally, plant on a slope or a rock garden if your garden soil is heavy and clayey, they can also be associated with dwarf or creeping Conifers.