You might need to be a bit more specific with your ID :-) Or provide a photo. There are a lot of different potentillas.

Assuming you are referring to shrubby potentilla (P. fruticosa, syn. Dasiphora fruticosa) or cinquefoil, it is an extremely hardy (zone 2) and durable plant with few demands. Full sun (will tolerate some light shade), well drained soil and remarkably drought tolerant once established, it has a long bloom season and few issues. Possibly some winter dieback in colder climates, it really requires minimal pruning other than some light shearing to keep tidy. I have never fertilized one in my life.....never found the need.

Maybe your altitude is too low for these plants.

Altitude? I’m not following that line of reasoning. They grow at sea level here.

The hotter south wet summers can be harder on them, the native ones occur in higher and mostly drier areas. I've never wanted to actually cultivate them, being not that impressed, so I have no advise other than that observation.

the DOT plants then on the side of the road.. and abandons them ... what care could they possibly need???? .. in the WV mountains ....

of course.. you tell where the plants were.. but not where you are ... maybe barron is on to something ...

also ... imo.. once established.. no shrub ever needs fert .. and i grow in glacial sand ... and soil amendments are not fert ... whatever issue you are having is not fert or lack thereof related ....

ken

Ken, his tag says St Louis, which is not much different from me. Or I thought it did, don't see now..so maybe I just made it up?

I didn't see that before but do now.

Maybe that's the source of the 'Never know where you are'..it mysteriously shows and disappears?

ever since they changed the forum everything is more difficult. my zone & location used to show up when i posted. now i think you have to check my profile. i'm posting some photos. you can see that they never really fill out & stay spindly. i actually had a hard time finding them here in st louis. i found them 40 miles away in washington mo. this summer has been wet but past years have been drier. 2 of t he originals died. if any of these die i'll replace them with spireas.

ken-these were lining the sidewalks at a rest area so they were tended to. i rarely fertilize shrubs either. just tried it to see if it would help.

I know you're z6, but it's close :)
(this from MOBOT)
Plants have excellent winter hardiness and perform best in cool
northern summer climates. It is not recommended for planting in the
southeastern U.S. south of USDA Zone 7 where they tend to struggle with
high summer heat and humidity.

Hence my first post, when I thought the planting site might be in a lower altitude part of Virginia.

having read the MOBOT article it sounds like i might be too far south for these to thrive. thanks for everyone's input.