Potentilla nepalensis Miss Willmott - Cinquefoil

Potentilla nepalensis 'Miss Willmott', also known as Nepalese perennial cinquefoil, is a hardy Himalayan perennial plant. Throughout summer, it produces clouds of cherry pink flowers, marked with cream, with a deep red heart. These fresh and lively blooms are carried on the slender and ramified stems of its spreading branches. Its satin green foliage is soft, reminiscent of strawberry leaves. This plant has great ornamental value and is also undemanding. It will fill in bare spaces in poor, dry and unforgiving soils, where few other beautiful plants are capable of surviving.

Potentilla nepalensis 'Miss Willmott' belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is a perennial plant with branching stems that forms a dense and bushy clump, reaching a height of 50cm (20in) and spreading to 60cm (24in). Its foliage is as gentle to the eye as it is to the touch. The lower leaves are divided into five toothed leaflets, the upper leaves into three leaflets, and are covered with silky, vibrant green, satin-like hairs. Flowering occurs in July and August, with possible reblooming in autumn. The flowers appear on branched stems at the tips of the shoots, resembling small bright pink wild roses, measuring 2cm (1in) in diameter. They are washed with cream, around a dark cherry red contrasting heart.

Potentilla nepalensis 'Miss Willmott' is a perfect plant for borders, alongside yarrow and sedum ('Autumn Joy'). It looks beautiful in perennial flower beds in dry soils, combined with shrubby salvias, common sage, grey artemisias, and teucriums. It is also a good perennial for sunny rock gardens, where it can be paired with creeping gypsophila, Saponaria ocymioides, perennial Geranium 'Philippe Vapelle', garden valerian, and Dianthus erinaceus.