Flower Focus: Avens (Geum)
Over the years as a garden designer I have created a list of must-have garden plants. There are so many beautiful flowering perennials to choose from but my go-to choices had to meet certain criteria.
They have to be reliable (as in they had to make it through our Zone 6b winters in the Northeast year after year), they need to be low maintenance (as in not needing much pruning, water or fertilizer, and little to no pest problems), they need to attract pollinators, and they need to be long blooming. If they also happen to be deer resistant they swiftly move to the top the list. I know what you’re thinking — that’s a tall order! Believe it or not, there are many great plants that check all those boxes. I will be sharing some of these great plants in future flower focus blog posts.
The genus Geum, pronounced “JEE-UM” is a perennial member of the rose family with more than fifty differing species.
Most species are clump forming with deeply-lobed, hairy leaves and start blooming in May in my garden. There are several varieties in multiple shades of yellow, orange, red, or pink. They range from fluffy upward-facing, double blooms to dainty, nodding singles.
Reaching 18” to 24” in height, they add a soft pop of color to the front border. Plant in mass for best affect. They are pollinator-friendly, have no pest issues and, wait for it...they are deer resistant! They do well in full sun to part shade, and are low maintenance. I grow the variety G. coccineum in orange (‘Totally Tangerine’) and red (‘Borisii’). The leaves of this species are scalloped and are very pretty as a ground cover.
You can see why Geum is on my list of must-have garden plants.
When I started growing cut flowers, no perennial plant in my garden was safe from my shears. I took cuttings from all of my flowering perennials to see which had good vase life. My Geum stems lasted 5-7 days in fresh water with no preservative. They are a great addition to my spring bouquets, adding bounce, movement and whimsy. For the longest lasting cut flowers, pick when the blooms are half open.
Geum will bloom from May through July, and if you cut or deadhead, they will reward you with a second flush of blooms in early fall. To keep your Geum plants vigorously blooming, it is recommended to divide the clumps every couple of years.
I plan to add three other varieties to my grow list this year -- a double-flowering red G.coccineum called ‘Mrs. Bradshaw’, a ruffled, semi-double apricot blush G.coccineum called ‘Pretticoat Peach’, and G.triflorum known as ‘Prairie Smoke'.’ I’m super excited about this last one. It is a North American native plant with a nodding, single-flowering bloom — the best part? The seed pod opens to a textured plum, hence the name. G.triflorum is not clump forming; it spreads by rhizomes making it a good ground cover.
