Potentilla fruticosa 'Abbotswood' - Abbotswood Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa 'Gold Drop' - Gold Drop Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa 'Goldfinger' - Goldfinger Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa 'McKay's White' - McKay's White Potentilla
Potentilla fruticosa 'Pink Beauty' - Pink Beauty Potentilla
Potentilla are prized for their flush of blooms that start in late spring / early summer and last through the rest of the growing season. While the most common varieties have bright yellow blooms, they can also be found with white and even pink flowers (though the depth of the pink hue seems to depend on it's environment). Native to northern parts of northern North America, Europe and northern Asia, they are a solid selection for USDA plant hardiness zones 2 through 7.
Foliage is most often a bright, warm green with some varieties tending toward a steely blue. While the flower show is full and long through the growing season, you'll want to use other plants to provide color interest in the fall, as Potentilla foliage simply turns brown before falling. Plant sizes range from 2' to 4' in height and spread.
Maintenance of Potentilla is both easy and necessary. After several years clusters of stems will die back, leaving unsightly dead patches in an otherwise healthy plant. One can either trim out the dead as it appears (which can sometimes result in a plant looking gangly or sparse for the remainder of the season), or proactively prune out older wood during the winter months. Stems should be pruned near the ground. This plant has also been known to respond well to an occasional hard pruning back.