Potentilla nepalensis Helen Jane Seeds - Cinquefoil

Potentilla nepalensis 'Helen Jane' is a new cultivar derived from the Nepalese cinquefoil which is known for its hardiness and ease of cultivation. It displays a more compact and bushy habit that performs wonderfully in borders among other bedding plants, but also in rock gardens and in flowering container displays. In the beginning of summer, charming, brightly coloured blooms that come in the form of cup-shaped flowers of a very bright pink hue tinged with scarlet at the base of the petals, bloom on top of its beautiful strawberry-like foliage. If care is taken to remove the wilted flowers, the plant will bloom repeatedly until September. Give this adorable perennial a light, well-drained soil and plenty of sunshine.

Potentilla nepalensis belongs to the family Rosaceae. It is native to eastern Asia and the western Himalayas and is found from Pakistan to Nepal. In the wild, it is found in pastures and crop fields at an altitude between 2100 and 2700 m above sea level. 

'Helen Jane' has been selected for its more branched vegetation and its very bright pink flowers. It is a perennial plant with branching stems that forms a dense, bushy clump that grows to 30-45 cm in height and 40-50 cm in width. Its growth is rapid: a plant sown early, under heated glass, will be able to flower within the year. Its foliage feels as soft as it looks. The lower leaves are cut into five toothed leaflets while the upper leaves are cut into three leaflets. They are covered with silky hairs and their colour is a satiny shade of bright green. If the soil stays moist enough, flowering takes place from the end of June to September with a possible repeat-flowering in autumn. The flowers appear on branched stalks at the end of the stems and look like small, bright pink blooms of eglantine that measure 2-3 cm in diameter and that carry crimson blotches near their darker, contrasting centres. The vegetation of this perennial cinquefoil dries out in autumn and reappears in spring.

Potentilla Helen Jane is an ideal plant to decorate the borders or the edges of the terrace. It is one of those easy-to-achieve plants with an old-fashioned allure, that fits well into a cloister garden or a romantic garden. Because of its mountain origins, it is also suitable for gardens in mountains of medium altitude. It prefers sunshine, but tolerates partial shade quite well which makes it a useful perennial for decorating for example, slightly shaded rock gardens or the edges of east-facing paths. It is also a good plant for well-drained, sunny beds where it can be planted with creeping gypsophila, rock soapwort, the perennial geranium Philippe Vapel, red valerian, cheddar pink... It can also be used to make beautiful container displays for the terrace or balcony.