Peeping, petal packed, primrose potentilla - perfect

As a young child I sometimes went to my uncle's place, in Devon. In my uncle's garden he had three beautiful potentilla bushes. I remember thinking how wonderful they were covered in hundreds and hundreds of bright yellow primrose flowers. I had never seen primroses growing on bushes before and I would stand transfixed in front of them as though they were enchanted. My uncle eventually gave me a small root and stem from the bottom of one of the plants. It was watered and carefully wrapped in a polythene bag and transported safely back home where it was already looking a sad, little, limp specimen. It was lovingly planted and watered and it thrived ... I have had a piece of the same potentilla bush in my garden ever since - no matter where I have lived.

I do not know the name of this particular variety but it carries more flowers than any other variety I have ever come across. Unlike most of the potentillas it has a propensity to grow quite upright, is slightly taller than is usual, and spreads very slowly from the base which throws out separate branches from the roots.

Potentilla or Primrose bush