Why choose native plants? Pacific Northwest native plants know how to live here and how to thrive here. They often need much less water and less fertilizer. They spread slowly and are not invasive. They support a wide diversity of wildlife. And best of all, they look great!
This is a defining meadow plant that is surprisingly overlooked, or ignored in most habitat restoration projects. A wonderfully hardy member of the rose family with woody underground roots, slender or prairie cinquefoil establishes readily and can persist for years. It’s ignored by deer, and stands up to occasional drought, flooding, and a bit of partial shade while still flowering cheerfully like clockwork every spring and summer. An important source of nectar for small pollinators who lack the girth to open more complicated flower. Butterflies and moths lay eggs on this plant, including the delightfully colorful little purplish copper (Lycaena helloides), the two-banded checkered skipper (Pyrgis ruralis), and the strawberry crown moth (Synanthedon bibionipennis). Slender prairie cinquefoil incorporates very well with grasses and tolerates occasional disturbance. Every meadow, rain garden, bioswale, drainage basin, parking strip, and roadside median should have this graceful little plant. Grows up to 24″ high, 12-24″ wide. This adorable cinquefoil prefers full sun to partial shade with seasonally wet to moist soils that are well-drained and rich with organic matter. If planted in drier or more exposed locations, it may require infrequent, but deep supplemental water during the peak of the summer drought. Companion plants include ash and cascara trees, and other moisture-loving wildflowers like blue-eyed grass, lupine, and Oregon iris. Blooms May-August. Photo courtesy of Northwest Meadowscapes.
