Create Your Garden

Potentilla palustris (Marsh Cinquefoil)

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

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

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.

Requirements

Hardiness 3 - 7
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Rosaceae
Genus Potentilla
Common names Cinquefoil
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Summer (Early, Mid)
Height 1' - 2'
(30cm - 60cm)
Spread 2' - 3'
(60cm - 90cm)
Spacing 24" - 30"
(60cm - 80cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average, High
Soil Type Clay, Loam
Soil pH Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Poorly Drained
Characteristics Showy
Native Plants United States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Rocky Mountains, California, Midwest, Northeast, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Illinois, Iowa, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana
Attracts Bees
Garden Uses Bog Gardens, Ponds And Streams, Water Gardens
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Not sure which Potentilla (Cinquefoil) to pick?
Compare Now

Alternative Plants to Consider

Drymocallis arguta (Tall Cinquefoil)
Potentilla fruticosa (Shrubby Cinquefoil)
Potentilla thurberi ‘Monarch’s Velvet’ (Scarlet Cinquefoil)
Potentilla fruticosa ‘Daydawn’ (Shrubby Cinquefoil)
Potentilla recta ‘Warrenii’ (Sulphur Cinquefoil)
Potentilla atrosanguinea var. argyrophylla ‘Scarlet Starlit’ (Himalayan Cinquefoil)

Recommended Companion Plants

Potentilla fruticosa ‘Pink Beauty’ (Shrubby Cinquefoil)
Eupatorium maculatum (Spotted Joe-Pye Weed)
Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Luna White’ (Hardy Hibiscus)

Find In One of Our Guides or Gardens

35 Flowering Shrubs That Thrive in Full Sun
Native Plant Alternatives to Potentilla recta (Sulphur Cinquefoil)
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.
Buy Plants

Requirements

Hardiness 3 - 7
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Rosaceae
Genus Potentilla
Common names Cinquefoil
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Summer (Early, Mid)
Height 1' - 2'
(30cm - 60cm)
Spread 2' - 3'
(60cm - 90cm)
Spacing 24" - 30"
(60cm - 80cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average, High
Soil Type Clay, Loam
Soil pH Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Poorly Drained
Characteristics Showy
Native Plants United States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Rocky Mountains, California, Midwest, Northeast, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Illinois, Iowa, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana
Attracts Bees
Garden Uses Bog Gardens, Ponds And Streams, Water Gardens
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Not sure which Potentilla (Cinquefoil) to pick?
Compare Now

Gardening Ideas

Plant Calculator

How many Potentilla palustris (Marsh Cinquefoil) do I need for my garden?

Input your garden space dimensions

Your Shopping List

Plant Quantity
Potentilla palustris (Marsh Cinquefoil) N/A Buy Plants

Please Login to Proceed

You Have Reached The Free Limit, Please Subscribe to Proceed

Subscribe to Gardenia

To create additional collections, you must be a paid member of Gardenia
  • Add as many plants as you wish
  • Create and save up to 25 garden collections
Become a Member

Plant Added Successfully

You have Reached Your Limit

To add more plants, you must be a paid member of our site Become a Member

Update Your Credit
Card Information

Cancel

Create a New Collection

Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    You have been subscribed successfully

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Find your Hardiness Zone

    Find your Heat Zone

    Find your Climate Zone