How to Grow Geums

Geums light up your garden from late spring, and their sunset colours offer a striking contrast to blue and purple toned flowers. These beautiful perennials make lovely cut flowers and are a popular addition to cottage garden borders.

Geums (avens) are hardy, slug-resistant perennials that flower from late spring through to mid or late summer. They bloom in shades of yellow, orange, pink and red, and though most common cultivars have rosette-shaped semi-double flowers, there are also varieties with simpler single flowers or nodding blooms. Geums are very popular with garden designers, particularly at the Chelsea Flower Show, as they offer reliable early-season colour.   

Most commonly-sold geums are cultivars or hybrids of Geum chiloense (Chilean avens) and Geum rivale (water avens). Geums are easy to grow in all parts of the UK – we grow many of our geums here in Scotland.

 

Where to plant geums

Most geums grow to between 40 and 70 centimeters in height, making them ideal for the front of a border. Think carefully about the plants you pair them with to make sure the airy flowers aren't overwhelmed by foliage. Shorter varieties combine well with forget-me-nots, pulmonaria and spring bulbs, while taller varieties can hold their own with hardy geraniums and provide a delightful counterpart to salvias and nepeta.

Geums grow well in full sun, light shade or partial shade. If growing in full sun, make sure the soil is fertile and moist, as geums will struggle to thrive in hot, sunbaked earth. Geum rivale prefers damp, shady spots and can be grown on pond margins, but cultivars and hybrids of Geum chiloense (which includes popular varieties such as 'Totally Tangerine' and 'Mrs Bradshaw') like the soil to be more free draining.

You can grow many types of geum in containers as long as you keep them well watered.

 

When to plant geums

Spring is the best time to plant geums, once the soil has warmed up but before it dries out. You can also plant geums in summer, as long as you keep them well watered, and in milder parts of the UK, you should be okay planting them in the autumn – just make sure the soil isn't too wet.

 

Planting geums

Water your plant well while you prepare the planting hole. If necessary, weed the soil and dig in some organic matter, such as garden compost. Dig a hole several times the width of the rootball, pop your geum plant in and backfill the soil. Plant it at the same depth it was in its grower's pot. Water the plant well and add a layer of mulch around it.

When growing geums in containers, make sure your pot is large enough to accommodate a fully grown plant and has good drainage. Partially fill the pot with multi-purpose compost, place your plant in the container, ensuring the top of the rootball is below the level of the pot, and fill the remaining space with additional compost.

 

How to care for geum plants

Water new plants regularly through their first summer to help them develop a strong root system. After this, geums should only need watering during dry spells or if they're planted in a sunny, dry bed. Add a layer of mulch around plants annually in early spring to help add nutrients and keep the soil moist.

If you're growing geums in pots, these will need regular watering and feeding throughout the growing season.

Deadheading geums regularly helps prolong the flowering period. Cut the stems at the base rather than snipping off the flowerheads. At the end of the season, you may want to leave some of the seedheads on the plant for winter interest.

Older plants can become woody and die in the middle, so it's best to divide geums every three years. This keeps plants healthy and encourages strong flowering, as well as giving you bonus plants for your garden.

 

Geum propagation

The easiest way to propagate geums is to divide clumps in spring, before they flower. Dig up the entire plant, shake off loose soil and use a space or two garden forks back-to-back to separate the clump into sections. If the plant has a woody central part, discard this and just keep the newer sections from the outside of the plant. Replant these immediately, either in the ground or in pots.

Geums often self-seed, so you may find new plants popping up around your garden. You can't reliably propagate geum cultivars from seed, but you can grow species plants from seed.

 

Common problems

You're unlikely to encounter many problems when growing geums in the right conditions. Geum sawfly may feed on young plants, but most plants recover from the defoliation. You can also check plants for sawfly larvae in May and June and remove any you find by hand to keep the population down.

When growing geums in pots, look out for small notches munched out of the leaves, as this can be a sign of vine weevil. If you suspect activity, give your plant a gentle tug to check if the roots have been eaten. You can use nematodes to help control vine weevil, but if you don't treat the plant early, it may die.

 

Our favourite varieties of geum

Geum 'Totally Tangerine' is one of the tallest geums, with delicate tangerine-orange flowers on long, wiry stems. A Chelsea Flower Show favourite and a brilliant choice for cut flowers.  

Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw' has striking scarlet semi-double flowers that bloom on long stems above the deeply lobed foliage. This popular cultivar boasts an RHS Award of Garden Merit and is one of the best geums for full sun locations.

Geum 'Mai Tai' grows to just under half a metre, with some of the most stunning ruffled flowers in shades of apricot orange tinged with pink. A pretty addition to a pastel border.

Geum 'Lady Stratheden' has vibrant yellow flowers that bring a sunny energy to your garden. A reliable, mid-height variety that's favoured by bees and other pollinators.

 

FAQ

When do geums flower?

Most geums flower from late spring (May) through the summer months. Geum rivale flowers a little earlier, from April to June.

How do you deadhead geums?

Deadhead geums by cutting flower stalks at their base as the flowers are fading. This encourages the plant to produce more blooms and helps prevent it from spreading seeds across your garden.

Are geums perennial?

Yes, geums are hardy perennials, meaning they will flower year after year. In mild parts of the UK, geums may keep their foliage through the winter, but in most areas, it will die back and regrow in spring.

Do geums self seed?

Most geums readily self seed, but in most cases, the resulting offspring will be an unpredictable hybrid. You can prevent plants from self seeding by deadheading flowers as they fade. Alternatively, choose a sterile hybrid, such as Geum 'Totally Tangerine' or Geum 'Scarlet Tempest'.