Potentilla alba

RHS Plant Profile
white-flowered cinquefoil

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Potentilla alba?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
Plants for pollinators
Alpine Rockery
Buy this from Plant Nurseries
3 Suppliers

A spreading blue-green perennial reaching 15cm tall. The leaves have five neat leaflets with pure white 5-petalled flowers for many weeks in spring

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

Up to 10 cm

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
Up to 10 cm

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H7

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Semi evergreen
Habit
Spreading branched, Matforming
Potentially harmful
Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Genus
Potentilla can be herbaceous perennials, deciduous shrubs, or annuals, with palmately or pinnately divided leaves and solitary or clustered, saucer-shaped, 5-petalled flowers appearing over a long period
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
C & E Europe

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in well-drained soil in full sun

Propagation

Propagate by seed or by division

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Gravel garden
  • Rock garden
  • Garden edging

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus