Plant Database

Other Names:  Perennial Cinquefoil

Description:

This stunning herbaceous variety is cousin to the shrubby potentilla; whorls of strawberry like leaves bearing sprays of double button orange-red flowers from early to late summer; trim faded blooms to encourage new buds; great for a sunny border

Ornamental Features

Arc En Ciel Cinquefoil has tomato-orange button flowers with orange overtones and dark red eyes at the ends of the stems from early to late summer, which emerge from distinctive chartreuse flower buds. Its small oval compound leaves remain green in colour throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Arc En Ciel Cinquefoil is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Arc En Ciel Cinquefoil is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Arc En Ciel Cinquefoil will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity extending to 16 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Arc En Ciel Cinquefoil is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.