Quick Guide: summer, hardy, full sun, height: 1.5m/5ft, width: 1.5m/5ft

The shrubby cinquefoil, Potentilla fruticosa, is a perfect subject for low-maintenance gardens. Totally hardy and requiring virtually no attention if given the correct conditions, it produces five-petalled flowers of yellow, white or orange for the whole summer. There are a number of low-growing varieties which are suitable for ground cover.

GROWING Plant between autumn and spring in light, well drained soil in full sun. Fewer flowers will be produced in partial shade. To maintain bushy growth, remove old or weak stems at ground level. Cut off the tips of flowering shoots after the blooms have faded. No other pruning is necessary.

PROPAGATION Take 7.5cm/3in half-ripe cuttings with a heel in autumn and place in a peat/sand mixture in a cold frame. Place the rooted cuttings in a nursery bed in spring and transfer to the final positions in the autumn of the following year.

VARIETIES `Farreri', very delicate foliage, bright yellow flowers; `Tangerine' (above), low-growing, scarlet in bud, opening to orange, or yellow if in full sun; `Mandschurica', only 30 x 90cm/1 x 3ft, silver leaves, purple stems, white flowers.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS Generally trouble-free.