Growing Things: How to prune and care for Potentillas

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Q: I wonder if you could give me some advice. Potentillas are not my favourite shrub but because the deer and elk have the same attitude towards Potentilla, I am beginning to like it.  We are attempting to xeriscape our front yard.  We have several Potentilla bushes, some planted last year and more this year.   They are doing very well and I would like some information regarding pruning.  I see bushes everywhere that are large, appear to be overgrown and do not bloom very profusely.  I would appreciate any advice you could give me?

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A: Potentillas have to be one of the most maligned shrubs in the landscaping repertoire and part of the reason for the poor reputation is that many homeowners are not pruning them correctly. Potentilla should be pruned in the early spring before they show any signs of new/or emerging growth. You should remove the oldest stems right to the ground every spring. This will encourage the plants to send out new growth keeping the entire plant in continuous blooms as well as encouraging new growth.

The overgrown specimens you refer to are in serious need of being cut back right to the ground and allowing the plant to start all over again. Once the new growth starts it is easier to keep them pruned correctly. A Potentilla that is pruned correctly can be a beautiful thing that offers continuous bloom over most of the growing season. You can’t say that about many other shrubs. If you detect that I am a Potentilla fan you are right. For applications such as yours where animals can be a problem or in xeriscapes they are a perfect addition to the landscape.

Q: Parts of our lawn are being overtaken by chickweed; I was wondering if you had any suggestions (preferably organic) for getting rid of the chickweed.

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A: The only organic control that I know of for chickweed is getting down on your hands and knees and pulling it out by hand. Will this work? The answer is yes, in time. However, you will need to be persistent in pulling it out whenever you see it. The good news is that chickweed is shallow-rooted and very easy to pull up. Once you have it pulled out you can reseed the area with grass seed and keep it well watered. If you see any chickweed sprouting along with the grass seed make sure to pull it right away.
Keeping your lawn healthy is the key to avoiding future problems with weeds. This means using a fertilizer and yes, there are organic lawn fertilizers available and watering regularly.

Every week, Growing Things Outdoors runs online at edmontonjournal.com or, if you prefer an epaper format, epaper.edmontonjournal.com

Learn more by emailing your questions to filipskigerald@gmail.com, reading past columns or my book Just Ask Jerry. You can also follow me on X, formerly Twitter, @justaskjerry01.

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