Shrubs - Potentilla Review

I have never been a gardener until very recently, so a lot of my work is trial and error.  I have tried reading some books on the subject, but the jargon ends up making my eyes glaze over.  So, I typically check out plant nurseries on the web, read the descriptions of the plants, and then buy it and try it.  That's what I did with these shrubs and I couldn't be more pleased.

When the plants arrived, they actually looked dead.  The brochure explained that they were just dormant and to go ahead and plant them.  (here's a tip: peel back a bit of the bark, and if the inside is green then you know the plant is still alive).  Anyway, I planted them as directed and they took off the first summer.  They didn't bloom the first year, but they got bigger and the branches got stronger.  The following spring, the shrubs began to bloom with a lush number of small yellow flowers.  

I have my potentilla bushes in full sun and they bloom reliably and virtually require no maintenance.  If the plant starts to look a little straggly, I'll cut it back a little in the spring before it begins to bloom.  It doesn't require any more water than what it gets naturally from the rain.  The plants still look healthy, the colors are cheerful, and they don't look straggly at the end of the summer.

The blooming period is from late Spring through late Fall, they can be planted in Zones 3-8, grow best in full to partial sun, are drought tolerant and low maintenance.  The Potentilla Shrub is not the most exciting trio of plants in my garden, but with all they have going for them they are the easiest to love.