Geum / RHS Plant Guide

Geum

RHS Genus Guide

From leafy rosettes, wiry stems bear flowers for a long period from late spring through summer. Their resemblance to buttercups gives a sense of spangled pasture to modern urban spaces where they can mix with salvias and grasses. They’re equally at home in cottage gardens, bringing an old-fashioned feel alongside aquilegias and campanulas.

Common name: Avens

Appearance

Coming from semi-evergreen rosettes, thin stems bear saucer-shaped flowers, sometimes double, from late spring through summer, and sometimes into autumn. Flower colours range from fiery reds and oranges to pastel shades of peaches and yellows.

Preferences

Plants will grow and flower well if they are divided every few years. Most geums like a sunny spot with soil that doesn’t dry out in summer. G. rivale, and cultivars of it, thrive in moisture retentive soil. However, some need free-draining soil, such as G. montanum, the alpine avens, and the slightly taller but also yellow-flowered alpine, G. pyrenaicum.

Dislikes

Most geums available for sale in garden centres dislike dry soil conditions. Alpine species are an exception, so do check before buying, to ensure you have the right type for your garden.

Did you know?

G. urbanum (wood avens/herb bennet) is a wildflower native to the UK. Its small yellow flowers are great for pollinators and its leaves are a food plant for caterpillars of the grizzled skipper butterfly.

RHS Growing Guide