shrub
Shrubby cinquefoil (potentilla) 'Goldfinger'
Dasiphora fruticosa 'Goldfinger'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Dasiphora fruticosa 'Goldfinger' is a deciduous shrub for gardens in zones 2–7. Expect 2–3 ft of height and 2–4 ft of spread; our lists space it 2.5 ft apart. It does best in full sun to part sun with little water once established. Expect yellow flowers in June to September. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the structure role: a shrub that holds the bed's shape at the back all year. It is native to the Northeast, the Midwest, the Great Plains, the Mountain West, the Pacific Northwest and California. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf and Texas and the South-Central states, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Dasiphora fruticosa 'Goldfinger'
- Plant type
- Shrub, deciduous
- Hardiness zones
- 2 to 7
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Tolerates poor, rocky and alkaline soil; needs drainage.
- Mature size
- 2–3 ft tall × 2–4 ft wide
- Spacing
- 2.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Jun–Sep · yellow
- Roles in a bed
- Structure
- Styles
- cottage, natural, low water
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list; no known toxic compounds.
- Native to
- Northeast, Midwest, Great Plains, Mountain West, Pacific Northwest and California
- Pot size and price
- 3-gallon pot, typically $25–$40 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water weekly through the first summer to root it in, then taper off; established plants need little extra water.
- Pruning
- Cut a third of the oldest stems back in late winter to keep it dense.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings (A-D); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 4 (as a substitute)
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 6 (as a substitute)
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 4
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 5
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 6
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 7
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 4
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 5
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Shrubby cinquefoil (potentilla) 'Goldfinger', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Meadow sage 'May Night'Salvia nemorosa 'May Night'perennial · zones 4–8
- Lamb's ear 'Helen von Stein'Stachys byzantina 'Helen von Stein'perennial · zones 4–8
- Blue fescue 'Elijah Blue'Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'ornamental grass · zones 4–8
- Blue false indigoBaptisia australisperennial · zones 3–9
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin'Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'shrub · zones 3–8
- Foxglove beardtongue 'Husker Red'Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'perennial · zones 3–8
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Shrubby cinquefoil (potentilla) 'Goldfinger': same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.
- Northern bush honeysuckleDiervilla lonicerazones 3–7 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Summersweet 'Hummingbird'Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird'zones 4–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Bush honeysuckle 'Kodiak Orange'Diervilla 'G2X88544'zones 3–7 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Black chokeberry 'Iroquois Beauty'Aronia melanocarpa 'Morton'zones 3–8 · flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants