It’s rare for me to dethrone my garden sweethearts. A couple of summers ago, I was telling you how blanket flower (Gaillardia) is THE plant to get if you want a perennial that blooms for months.
And I still stand by that. Blanket flowers have been thriving in my garden.
However, I want to add to that list because when I find another plant to fall in love with, it’s rare for me to keep it to myself.
The perennial is called Geum (or Avens) and the side effects of planting it in your garden include joy, wide grins and a pat on your back from your future self.
Here are a few reasons why you should bring this colorful perennial into your garden.
1. Geums will bloom for months at a time.
Let’s first talk about blooming time, since this was my hook.
Geums – also known as Avens – belong to the Rosaceae family, so they share the summer-long blooming characteristic with members of this family. You know, like that famous cousin you may have heard of, the rose.
Depending on what type of geum we’re growing, we can have blooms from mid-April to mid-August. And if we remember to deadhead this perennial, it will keep rewarding us with flowers possibly until early October.
Some geums, such as the uber popular Totally Tangerine, have been specially bred for long blooming periods. Part of the compromise is the fact that the seeds are sterile, so the plant won’t self-seed. This only means that the geum can focus more energy on bloom production rather than on setting seed.
But please keep in mind that not all geum cultivars are sterile.
Geum flowers are cup-shaped bashful beauties that grow on slender stalks. They come with different petal distributions – simple, double and the eye-catching semi-double. Some cultivars will stretch tall and look straight up to the sky; while others have a bashful dainty buttercup demeanor looking down at their feet (this is called a nodding habit).
The leaves are pretty too!
And even though the flowers are the main attraction, the foliage itself is a vibrant addition to the garden. The leaves can be either smooth or toothed, depending on what cultivar you’re growing.
When it comes to leaf color, there is a wider range than you would imagine for such an underrated plant. In addition to various shades of green, some cultivars sport leaves that are speckled with silver, purple or maroon streaks.
2. There’s a type of geum for every garden.
With over 75 types of species and varieties, geums are native to many different areas of the globe. They’re native to South America (Chile, in particular), Europe (from Turkey to the Balkans), Asia and North America. This means that, whether you’re gardening in a cold and humid climate or in a warm zone, there is a geum for you.
Here is a short explanation to which is which, although nowadays you’ll find a lot of hybrids that do well in most conditions.
Geum chiloense – native to Chile, they do well in part shade and don’t need as much moisture. But they can’t handle full sun.
Geum coccineum – native to Europe, and just like their South American cousins, they can handle sun but not hot afternoon sun.
Geum rivale – they flourish in damp soil and shade.
Geum urbanum – I wouldn’t start with this one if it’s showy blooms you’re after. But it’s good to know that this city tough guy is out there, just in case you have a spot where nothing else grows.
In addition to these varieties, all of these species have been hybridized to get new colors, heights and blooming patterns. So if you just find the cultivar name without any other indication of what group it’s in, no worries. It’s probably either one of the first two groups of a hybrid of both of them.
3. There’s a color of geum for every border.
Soft pastels. Romantic old-fashioned charm. Giddy cheer. Geums come in all warm shades possible. Let me give you a few popular examples of each to get you started on your search.
Geums in shades of red and pink
‘Mrs. Bradshaw’
‘Fire Opal’
‘Scarlet Tempest’
‘Coral Tempest’
‘Fiery Tempest’
‘Pink Petticoats’
‘Cooky’
‘Bell Bank’
Geums in shades of orange, amber and peach
‘Totally Tangerine’
‘Tequila Sunrise’ – you’ll notice that there’s an entire series of geums named after cocktails
‘Mai Tai’
‘Tutti Frutti’
‘Sunkissed Lime’
‘Sea Breeze’
‘Spanish Fly’
‘Tempo Orange’
‘Fireball’
‘Tosai Orange’
Geums in shades of yellow, both cold and warm hues
‘Lisanne’
‘Mornings Hybrid’
‘Lemon Drops’
‘Lady Stratheden’
‘Banana Daiquiri’
‘Tosai Yellow’
‘Cosmopolitan’
‘Nonna’
4. Geums are easy-going plants.
Now that we have thoroughly talked about flowers – I could keep going, though – let’s have a look at a few planting and maintenance details.
The good news: these hardy herbaceous perennials are a set-it-and-forget-it type of plant. Once we get them in the ground (either in the spring or in the fall) and get them established, their easy-going nature will do the rest.
And the main attraction, for my gardening zone, is the fact that they are hardy. Not only will they survive a frost, but they’ll happily stay evergreen throughout the winter in temperate gardening zones.
The only thing that might set them back and prevent them from flowering fully is extreme drought. So while they are drought-tolerant, they won’t be happy if they don’t get a good gulp of water when they’re getting parched.
Let me add one more sign of low-maintenance – we don’t need to stake geums; they hold their heads up pretty well on their own.
5. Geums will thrive in most gardens.
Other than that, the usual advice applies. Plant geums in moisture-retentive soil that doesn’t stay waterlogged. Every spring and fall, add a layer of compost around their base to improve the nutritional load of the soil and keep it draining well.
When it comes to the amount of sunlight they need, geums prefer part shade. Although since they originate from different parts of the world, some can handle more shade than others. So Geum chiloense from South America will tolerate more sun than Geum coccineum which is native to the mountains of the Balkans.
It’s always a good idea to refer to the label that they come with from the grower, since that will be the most accurate information for the specific cultivar you’re planting.
6. Geums are good company.
Geums are stunning on their own. But the best way to use them in garden design, in my opinion, is by mixing them with plants such as cosmos, aquilegia, alliums and Salvia nemorosa for a cottage garden look.
You can intersperse geums in messy borders (my preferred gardening style); or you can plant them as front of the border edging with other low-growing perennial beauties such as hardy geraniums and moss phlox.
Have I convinced you to give geums a try?
Because if I have, and you’ve planted some in your backyard, you’ll be the one doing the convincing next. In about three years, when your geums will be ready to be divided, I have no doubt you’ll be sharing some with other gardener friends and family.