Three-toothed cinquefoil
Sibbaldiopsis tridentata · Rosaceae
A low mat of glossy, dark, three-toothed evergreen leaves that turn wine-red in autumn and winter, with small white flowers in early summer.
- Size
- 6 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late May to early July
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around three-toothed cinquefoil
The planner designed this bed around three-toothed cinquefoil when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why three-toothed cinquefoil stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Three-toothed cinquefoil × 21, white
- 2 Blanket flower 'Arizona Sun' × 7, red
- 3 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 3, tan
- 4 False sunflower 'Summer Nights' × 3, yellow
- 5 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 6 Wild lupine × 7, blue
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 3, purple
- 8 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- Part of the matrix. The low fabric of grasses and groundcovers that the taller plants come up through.
- The only open bowls. The others are daisies, spires and globes. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- Under the taller plants. It runs back between them as living mulch: there its job is to cover the soil, not to be looked at.
- 21 plants in 3 groups (8, 8 and 5). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
- Fine leaf against bold. Silver sage is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From late May to early July.
- Part of the bed's peak. With wild lupine and ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' in late May: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 51% of the planted ground. The scheme leans cool (blue and purple) and uses red and yellow for warmth, with white and tan to calm things between them. Three-toothed cinquefoil and little bluestem 'The Blues' carry the bed through winter.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 3 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where three-toothed cinquefoil goes in a border
At 6 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is ground-hugging (up to 6 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
A tough native of mountain tops and northern coasts, with leaves like a tiny strawberry. It needs acid, lean soil and full sun; in rich soil it is short-lived.
- Native evergreen groundcover for poor, dry soil
- Rock gardens
- Cold, exposed sites
What to plant with three-toothed cinquefoil
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (10 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Creeping thyme: in flower together for five weeks, from early June; low enough (3 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Pussytoes: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about three-toothed cinquefoil
Does three-toothed cinquefoil need sun or shade?
Three-toothed cinquefoil grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled.
What zones does three-toothed cinquefoil grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does three-toothed cinquefoil flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to early July. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Mid June to mid July |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early June to mid July |
| Zone 5 | Late May to early July |
| Zone 6 | Late May to early July |
| Zone 7 | Mid May to late June |
| Zone 8 | Early May to late June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should three-toothed cinquefoil be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 in (15 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many three-toothed cinquefoil plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used 21 in three groups.
Is three-toothed cinquefoil poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat three-toothed cinquefoil?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after three-toothed cinquefoil?
Three-toothed cinquefoil is over by early July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.
- Daylily: from late June to early August, 2½ ft tall.
What does three-toothed cinquefoil look like in winter?
Three-toothed cinquefoil keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is three-toothed cinquefoil good for bees and butterflies?
Three-toothed cinquefoil is visited by pollinators and specialist bees.
It is native to the United States.
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Plants for bees
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Groundcover plants
- Evergreen perennials, ferns and grasses
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 6 in (15 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Ground-hugging (up to 6 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late May to early July; open bowls; white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Comes from
- Greenland to Northern Central & Eastern U.S.A
- Attracts
- Pollinators, specialist bees
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.