How to Grow and Care for Cinquefoils

Often confused with true strawberries, the mock strawberry leaves, growth, and fruit is similar in appearance. While the mock strawberry is edible, it generally lacks flavor compared to true strawberries.

Creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) is a perennial that will grow to 99 cm tall and 99 cm wide. It blooms from summer to fall with yellow rose-like flowers that attract bees and other pollinators. Thrives in full sun with medium to dry well-drained soil. Creeps along the ground and produces an abundance of hardy seeds. Can be invasive in gardens and lawns.

Sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta) is a tufted perennial herb plant that originated in the Mediterranean region and now grows around the world, including throughout North America. It is considered a weed in some areas because it can become a dense ground cover in only a short span of time. Deer are known to eat sulphur cinquefoil, but they do not digest the seeds, thus aiding the plant's spread.

Rough cinquefoil (Potentilla norvegica) is a flowering plant that grows throughout North America. The genus name "potentilla," comes from the Latin word "potens," which means "powerful." The species name "norvegica" references setters who first carried the plant to North America.

Common cinquefoil is a branching, sprawling wildflower that can form fairly dense patches of growth. It was once used as an ingredient in magic spells and love potions. This pretty yellow flower attracts many species of small bees, and the foliage is often nibbled on by rabbits and groundhogs.