Dasiphora, Shrubby Cinquefoil 'Goldfinger'

This is the most used cultivar of the Shrubby Cinquefoil species in the Midwestern USA, often called "the Potentilla." It is similar to t...Read Morehe second most used cultivar there of 'Gold Drop.' Goldfinger has truly green leaves and it is a compact selection, but more like 3 to 4 feet high, so it is larger with larger leaves and fewer but larger flowers than 'Gold Drop.' It also eventually gets ragged in appearance in time and must be properly pruned with hand pruners to keep it looking good. Potentillas are not as popular as they were in the 1970's into the 1990's, but they are still offered by many nurseries. They can live about 30 years, though I have seen some die out sooner.

This plant has exploded into the market in my region; I even heard a garden center shopper turn it down because it was "too common." It's...Read More in parking lot medians and clustered around business signs everywhere around here. Like a knockout rose or daylily, if you can see beyond its popularity, this plant has a lot to offer.

I have these planted in my rose garden and the ferny foliage and loose texture provide a great foundation for the roses. The yellow flowers are a perfect contrast to the roses' pinks and reds. I was concerned about the tendency of the potentilla to hold browned twigs and leaves while growing and flowering, but I now appreciate it because it minimizes the appearance of any scraggly leaves or dead blossoms on the roses.

This plant is drought-resistant (it won't look as nice but it won't die immediately). It will produce green leaves and yellow flowers the entire growing season as long as it gets ample water. Mine tend to look pretty good all year because I water the roses frequently; those in institutional plantings do get a bit scraggly during July and August - in an artful, wild tumbleweed sort of way.

(The flowers are a true buttercup yellow, not what I would call "gold.")

'Goldfinger' is another standard in the landscape industry within Canada. This cultivar forms a fairly large, round bush 4-5 feet tall. ...Read More Very floriferous with fairly large flowers. It blooms a little later than many cultivars but flowers up to frost. Popular for foundations as well as parks and roadside medians. It is still considered by many the best Potentilla on the market.