Potentilla thurberi ‘Monarch’s Velvet’ is one of those plants that looks quite unlike everything else in the border. Its small, saucer-shaped flowers have rich raspberry-red petals surrounding an intensely dark, velvety centre that appears almost painted with ink.
The flowers are carried in loose sprays above fresh green, strawberry-like foliage, creating movement without forming a heavy block of colour. Flowering throughout summer, this hardy, clump-forming perennial is ideal for cottage gardens, informal borders and pollinator-friendly planting. Its branching stems can also be cut to add lightness and rich colour to garden-style arrangements.
 
Grow in full sun and moist but well-drained soil. Deadhead regularly to encourage the plant to continue producing flowers through the summer. Early sowings may flower during their first year, although the strongest display will come from established plants.
 
When to Sow: September–October
 
How to Sow Potentilla:
SEEDS REQUIRE COLD STRATIFICATION. 
Sow under cover: Surface-sow the seeds onto moist, well-drained seed compost. Press them gently into the surface and cover with only a very fine layer of compost or vermiculite.
 
Place the tray or pot in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse. Allow the seeds to experience the natural warmth of autumn followed by winter cold. Germination should begin as temperatures rise in spring.
 
Keep the compost lightly moist but never saturated. Germination may be irregular, so do not discard the tray if seedlings do not appear immediately.
 
Transplant seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow them on under cover, then gradually acclimatise before planting outside once well established and the danger of frost has passed.
 
Classification: Hardy perennial
Expert level: Requires some Experience 
Germination time: Germinates in spring following autumn sowing
Flowering time: June–August
 
Site: Full sun or partial sun
Soil type: Chalk, sand or loam
Soil acidity: Acidic, neutral or alkaline
Moisture: Well-drained
 
Care: Water regularly while establishing. Once established, water during prolonged dry periods and deadhead to encourage continued flowering. Cut old stems back to ground level in spring.
Use: Cottage-garden borders, wildlife gardens and cut flowers
Harvest: Cut when several flowers on each branching stem have opened but plenty of buds remain
 
Vase life: 5 Days Approx
Height:  60–75cm
Plant spacing: 40cm