Himalayan cinquefoil

Himalayan cinquefoil: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Loose, bushy clump about 45 cm high and 60 cm wide with slender, branched stems that sprawl or lean.

Leaves

Three leaflets, strawberry-like and toothed, grey-green with a silvery, hairy underside.

Flower

Saucer-shaped, five-petalled flowers of about 2–3 cm in loose clusters, dark blood-red, from June to September.

Lifespan

Often short-lived: it loses vigour after a few years. Division or seed keeps it going.

Roots

Fibrous, with a sturdy crown; well-drained soil is important.

Flowering: June–September · Plants: March–May and September–October · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• Flowers from June to September in a deep blood-red that many borders lack.
• The silvery, strawberry-like foliage stays attractive even without flowers.
• Bees readily visit the flat flowers.
• Stays low and leans on its neighbours, ideal at the edge of the border.
• Little work and drought-tolerant, as long as the soil is well drained.

Himalayan cinquefoil: where does it grow best?

• Full sun for the richest flowering and the sturdiest foliage.
• Ordinary garden soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky. The soil must drain well.
• Normally moist; water in prolonged drought, but it quickly rots in wet soil.
• Put it at the edge of the border or in a group, so the stems can lean.
• Allow 40–50 cm per plant.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.45 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Catmint: A blue-purple haze beside the blood-red flowers, in the same sun.
• Cranesbill: Blue or pink flowers and attractive foliage at the edge.
• Sage: Purple-blue spikes in the same sun and dry soil.
• Feather reed grass: A fine grass that supports the loose, leaning stems.

Himalayan cinquefoil: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

1. Plant in March–May or in September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Work compost into the soil; mix heavy clay with coarse sand for better drainage.
3. Dig a hole as deep as the pot and a little wider, and set the plant at the same depth as in its pot.
4. Space plants 40–50 cm apart.
5. Water straight away, then weekly in dry weather until it is established.
6. Spread a thin layer of compost or fine gravel around the plants, keeping the crown clear.

Care

Watering

Once established only in prolonged drought; it then keeps flowering for longer.

Feeding

A layer of compost in spring. Too much nitrogen gives lots of leaves and few flowers.

Mulching

A thin layer of compost or fine gravel in spring; not against the crown.

Spent flowers

Cut spent stems back to the foliage: this keeps the flowering going longer.

Support

Rarely needed: let it lean on neighbouring plants or give it a few twigs as support.

Tip: Put it at the edge of the border and let the stems lean on neighbouring plants. Cut off spent stems and provide well-drained soil.

Himalayan cinquefoil: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: In March: cut away old stems and weathered foliage, before the new shoots appear.

How:

• Cut last year’s dead stems in March down to just above the new shoots.
• In summer, cut spent stems back to the foliage.
• Regularly remove brown or affected leaves.

Caution: Do not cut all the foliage to the ground in autumn: it protects the crown in winter.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In March–April or in September, every three to four years: lift the clump, divide it into pieces with roots and leaves and replant straight away. This also renews the plant’s vigour.

Sowing

Sow in autumn or early spring in a seed tray and barely cover the fine seed. Seedlings of a cultivar do not always come true.

Himalayan cinquefoil: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Hardy to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The risk is not the cold but wet soil in winter. Make sure it drains well.
• In a pot: use free-draining soil, put the pot in shelter and do not let it stand in water.

Diseases and pests

• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves, especially in drought and poor airflow. Water at the base, give it space and cut off affected parts.
• Rust: Orange to brown spots on the underside of the leaves. Cut off and dispose of affected foliage; choose an airy spot.
• Rot in wet soil: The crown turns brown and soft in wet winters. Provide well-drained soil.
• Thinning clump: The clump opens up and gets bare after a few years. Divide or replace it.

Through the year

• March: Cut off old stems. Plant or divide. Apply compost.
• April: Plant. Watch for slugs and drying out.
• May: Plant. Let the clump lean or add twigs.
• June: Flowering begins.
• July: Flowering. Cut off spent stems.
• August: Flowering. Water in dry weather.
• September: Last flowers. Plant or divide.
• October: Plant. Leave the foliage for winter.
• December: Rest.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The species name atrosanguinea means ‘dark red’ (ater is dark, sanguineus is blood-red).
• Like strawberries and roses, the flowers have five petals: these plants belong to the same family, the Rosaceae.
• In the wild the species grows in the mountains of the Himalayas.