Potentilla nepaulensis 'Monarch's Velvet' / P. thurberi 'Monarch's Velvet'

Hardy to zone 5, and reaching 24in (60cm) wide and 36in (75cm) high, the five-lobed strawberry-shaped foliage has gray, finely haired undersides and forms a six inch mound, above which rise the flower stems. From July to August, stems bear breathtaking dark, velvety raspberry-red cinquefoil flowers with almost black centres... stunning colour for the perennial border or even a container, especially when contrasted against the light lemon daisies of Coreopsis verticilata 'Moonbeam'.