Alphabetical Plant Listing

Potentilla palustris (Marsh Cinquefoil)

Marsh Cinquefoil, Bog Strawberry, Cowberry Meadow Nut, Purple Marsh Locks, Purple Marshwort, Purplewort, Comarum palustre


A very cold-hardy plant, Potentilla palustris (Marsh Cinquefoil) is a rhizomatous, woody-based perennial of open habit with upright reddish stems and gray-green leaves formed of 5-7 leaflets, each lance-shaped and heavily toothed. In early to mid-summer, it produces loose clusters of 1-3 deep red flowers with large, red-flushed sepals. Resembling dainty, single roses, the blossoms are very attractive to bees and hoverflies. Marsh Cinquefoil requires a persistently watery habitat and is completely at home in free-standing water, its stems submerged with aquatic roots and just the upper stems ascending above the water line.

  • Grows up to 12-24 in. tall (30-60 cm) and 24-36 in. wide (60-90 cm).
  • Performs best in full sun in permanently wet, alkaline, or neutral soil. Can grow in water 1-3 in. deep (2-7 cm).
  • Virtually pest and disease free. Rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.
  • Cut flowering stems down to the ground level in autumn
  • Propagate by seed, or by division, in autumn or spring
  • Native to the temperate North Hemisphere.

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Requirements

Hardiness 3 – 7
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Potentilla - Cinquefoils
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Summer (Early,Mid)
Height 1' – 2' (30cm – 60cm)
Spread 2' – 3' (60cm – 90cm)
Spacing 24" – 30" (60cm – 75cm)
Water Needs Average, High
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Clay, Loam
Soil pH Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Poorly Drained
Characteristics Showy
Native Plants United States, Alaska, California, Midwest, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Northeast, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Rocky Mountains, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming
Attracts Bees
Garden Uses Bog Gardens, Ponds and Streams, Water Gardens
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage

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While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.


Requirements

Hardiness 3 – 7
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Potentilla - Cinquefoils
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Summer (Early,Mid)
Height 1' – 2' (30cm – 60cm)
Spread 2' – 3' (60cm – 90cm)
Spacing 24" – 30" (60cm – 75cm)
Water Needs Average, High
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Clay, Loam
Soil pH Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Poorly Drained
Characteristics Showy
Native Plants United States, Alaska, California, Midwest, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Northeast, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Rocky Mountains, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming
Attracts Bees
Garden Uses Bog Gardens, Ponds and Streams, Water Gardens
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage

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