The cinquefoil genus is characterized by a wide variety of species (from low-growing herbs to stately shrubs), but planting and care in open ground for these plants are similar, because they are all unpretentious to grow. We'll tell you what to look for.
Only white cinquefoil (it grows well only in the shade), shiny cinquefoil (grows well in dry sandy soil on the south side of the site) and arctic cinquefoil (needs acidic soil) are particularly picky. Other types of cinquefoil prefer well-lit places where there is shadow in the afternoon (for example, from other plants). The soil should ideally be loose, slightly acidic, nutritious, well drained and with a small amount of lime.
Description of the cinquefoil plant
Cinquefoil can be either a perennial plant or subshrub, or an annual or biennial plant. Stems can be erect, widened, erect, and less often creeping. The leaves are multipartite, pinnate, and have a bright green or gray-green color. Shrub cinquefoil can grow up to one and a half meters in height and up to 1 m in width. The flowers are collected in inflorescences of a false-umbellate or thyroid-paniculate shape. Flowers can be white, red, golden yellow, orange, pink and cream. Flowering of cinquefoil begins in May and continues until September. The fruit is collected from many bare or hairy achenes.
"Pink Queen"
The unique pink queen of garden flower beds is a low bush with creeping branches. It is unusually hardy, tolerates pruning wonderfully, maintaining its compactness and original appearance for a long time. The shrubby cinquefoil “Pink Queen” is characterized by a dense cushion-shaped crown. It is formed from feathery leaves consisting of 5 or 7 oval parts. In summer they are light green, in autumn they are golden. Pink buds appear in early June and bloom profusely until the end of September. Another name for this species is the “Princess” shrubby cinquefoil.
Growing cinquefoil from seeds
It is necessary to plant cinquefoil seedlings in late February-early March. Containers with planted seeds must be covered with film and placed in a room where the temperature is 15-18 degrees. After the seedlings sprout, the polyethylene must be removed. When the seedlings have formed two true leaves, they must be transplanted into peat pots. The seedlings grow quite slowly, but despite this they must be planted in a flowerbed at the end of August. A plant grown in this way will bloom only after a year. Further, the cinquefoil will be able to reproduce by self-seeding.
Trimming
To prevent the bushes from being loose and untidy and to maintain their decorative appearance, one-time spring and/or autumn pruning is recommended. All crooked and inward growing branches, frostbitten, broken and dry shoots are removed. In the spring, young shoots are shortened by 1/3, and in the fall, stems that are too elongated are cut off. Pruning has both sanitary and decorative purposes; the cinquefoil can be given the desired shape, usually a ball or pillow. Once every 5 years, radical pruning is done in order to rejuvenate the specimen, each time removing about a third of the old branches.
If the plant is grown as a hedge, the shoots can be pruned at any time during the warm season as they grow.
Planting cinquefoil in open ground
Planting herbaceous cinquefoil
In autumn, cinquefoil seeds can be planted once in open ground. During the winter cold, the seeds will undergo natural certification, and only the strongest and strongest will sprout. You can also plant seeds in open ground in the spring, but it is better to grow seedlings first. Since this option is more reliable, most seeds will germinate and will not be damaged by any insects at such a young age.
Planting shrubby cinquefoil
Shrub cinquefoil seedlings must be planted in open ground in early spring in holes that should be twice the size of the root system of the seedling. The distance between gall seedlings should be at least thirty centimeters. A layer of lime gravel must be poured into the holes for planting seedlings in order to make it well drained. Then you need to mix humus, leaf soil, sand, complex mineral fertilizer and pour the resulting mixture into the pits in a thick layer. Then place the seedling there and sprinkle it thoroughly with garden soil, compact it and water it generously. Within a month, shrubby cinquefoil requires abundant and regular watering. In order for moisture to remain in the soil longer, it must be mulched with sawdust, bark or straw.
Forum, reviews
Cinquefoil is loved by gardeners as an ornamental shrub and medicinal plant. Lovers of garden flora speak positively about it, because growing it does not raise any questions even for beginners. Many people prepare raw materials during the summer in order to enjoy aromatic, healthy tea in winter. The only point in cultivation that can confuse a beginner is reproduction. Experienced gardeners recommend using woody cuttings.
Conclusion
Cinquefoil shrub is a very unpretentious inhabitant of the garden plot; caring for and growing the perennial will bring gardeners a lot of pleasure. And the ability to strengthen the immune system with a healing drink sets Kuril tea apart from other shrubs.
Cinquefoil care
Location
Most types of cinquefoil are unpretentious and do not require special care, but there are also those that are more fastidious and require careful care. These varieties include white cinquefoil (likes to grow in the shade or at least partial shade), brilliant cinquefoil (prefers dry sandy soil). All other types of cinquefoil prefer to grow in light areas that are shaded at midday.
The soil
The soil should be well-drained, loose, slightly acidic and nutritious, with a low lime content. An exception is the Arctic cinquefoil, which requires acidic soil to grow.
Watering
Caring for shrub and herbaceous cinquefoil is quite simple. Frequent and abundant watering for cinquefoil is necessary only in the first month after planting, then it must be reduced to once every two weeks. If the soil was not mulched during planting, then after each watering it is necessary to loosen the soil and remove weeds.
Feeding and fertilizers
Fertilizers need to be applied three times per season. The first feeding is in May, the second in June and the third at the end of August. You can also spray the cinquefoil with water in the evening, the plant will respond positively to this.
Trimming
For normal growth and development of cinquefoil in spring, it is necessary to carry out pruning. This will give the plant a neat appearance. During such pruning, you need to remove all dry and damaged branches, as well as those that prevent other branches from growing or growing inside the bush. For older bushes, it is necessary to carry out anti-aging pruning; for this, most of the old and non-flowering branches should be removed, leaving young shoots.
Soil requirements
It does well on calcareous soils, but does not tolerate too dense soils and has high requirements for aeration. The planting site must be well drained.
The choice of location is determined by the selected variety, among which there are species that are unpretentious to growing conditions and those that are very capricious. For example, shiny cinquefoil loves open places and a predominance of dry sand in the soil, while white cinquefoil feels better in partial shade.
Potentilla propagation
Cinquefoil propagates not only by seeds, but also by dividing the bush, cuttings and layering.
Dividing the bush should be done in autumn or spring. Propagate by layering and cuttings in the second half of summer. Potentilla can be propagated by vegetative methods only when the plant is more than four years old. It is necessary to divide the bush into parts using sterile and sharp objects so that each has at least two living buds. Then the cuttings need to be treated with a root growth stimulator and planted in the soil.
Cuttings need to be cut from strong shoots. Their length should be 10 cm. Cut cuttings should be germinated in a warm room for a month, then planted in open ground and well covered.
In order to propagate cinquefoil by layering, you need to cut a strong shoot and sprinkle it with soil. Before autumn, the cuttings will take root and can be replanted.
How to care after seating
Nepalese cinquefoil - description, varieties, care
Like adult plants, cuttings after planting in the garden need to be provided with sufficient moisture, periodic feeding, timely pruning and preparation for wintering.
Appearance of the shrub in autumn after defoliation and pruning
Plants older than 4 years can survive even a very long drought; this will only lead to poor flowering, but not to death. A young bush requires watering weekly. Usually the next day after this, the soil is loosened, weeds are pulled out, and the soil is mulched. A useful procedure is to spray with warm water in the evenings, when the sun has already set.
Among garden perennials, the popularity of bush cinquefoil is only gaining momentum, because growing it is a matter of not only labor, but also patience. However, the result is worth the effort and long wait.
Medicinal properties of cinquefoil
Only white, erect and goose cinquefoil have healing properties. Cinquefoil stimulates the central nervous system and enhances kidney filtration. Used to treat dysentery and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as to treat diseases of the liver and pancreas. Potentilla contains many useful substances that help fight gynecological diseases and inflammation of the oral cavity. To do this, prepare a decoction of cinquefoil, rinse or douche. An infusion of cinquefoil stems helps fight hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver, increases bilirubin and relieves swelling.
But cinquefoil also has contraindications - cinquefoil is prohibited for people with increased blood clotting and hypotensive people.
Types and varieties of cinquefoil
There are a huge number of types and varieties of cinquefoil. More popular types and varieties will be described in more detail below.
Cinquefoil (Potentilla apennina) is a perennial plant with pubescent leaves of a trifoliate shape and a silvery hue. The flowers are pink or white.
White cinquefoil (Potentilla alba) is a perennial plant that grows up to twenty centimeters in height. The basal leaves are palmate-lobed. The flowers are white, collected in umbellate or racemose inflorescences.
Potentilla anserina (Potentilla anserina) - leaves are pinnately compound, yellow flowers up to 2 cm in diameter.
Nepalese cinquefoil (Potentilla nepalensis) is a perennial that can grow up to 50 cm. The stems are straight and branched, have a purple tint. The leaves are palmate-lobed and dark green in color. The flowers are quite large, red or pale pink. Flowering begins in July and lasts for 2 months.
The most popular varieties of this species: Roxana, Floris, Miss Wilmott.
Cinquefoil erecta, or straight, or galangal (Potentilla erecta) is a perennial that can grow up to 20 cm. The stem is erect and branched. The leaves are trifoliate. Single flowers. Flowering begins in July and lasts until autumn.
Silver cinquefoil (Potentilla argentea) is a perennial plant with arched stems. Grows up to 30 cm. The leaves are scaly and five-separated, covered with white hairs on the back side. The flowers are collected in thyroid-paniculate inflorescences. Flowering lasts from June to July.
Hybrid cinquefoil (Potentilla x hybrida) - this species includes many garden hybrid forms of the plant. The stems are straight and highly branched at the top. They grow up to 1 m in height. The leaves are trifoliate or serrate in shape. Velvety flowers of red, yellow, purple or pink
The most popular varieties: Master Floris, Vulcan, Yellow Queen.
