May has traditionally been a bit of a ‘gap’ year in my garden, not in the exciting, travel related sense but more because it’s been a month waiting for the arrival of summer colour after the spring flowers have faded. Not this year! This is because I’ve discovered geums.
They come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes so there is a geum to suit every space. With their flowers swaying on elegant, tall stems above a rosette of glossy green leaves, they bring a burst of colour and movement at a time when things are often a bit sparse. Many varieties continue to flower for months on end and some even give a second flush of flowers in the autumn. They’re equally at home nestled in a traditional cottage garden or peeking through a lush tropical oasis. My personal favourite, for sheer vibrancy and longevity, is a variety called Totally Tangerine, with Lady Stratheden following a close second. A quick internet search of specialist growers, will help you to choose a variety that’ll make you smile.
Geums are perennial so come back year after year, they are very easy to grow and will thrive in most soils but do prefer not to be excessively hot or dry. They are a lot more resilient to wind and rain than their delicate appearance would suggest and are evergreen in all but the harshest winters. They make excellent groundcover to naturally supress the weeds and are rarely troubled by pests or diseases. In fact, slugs actively dislike them and planting them around my hostas has certainly resulted in a reduction to the usual damage.
Geums are also very pollinator friendly so a great addition to a wildlife friendly space and are especially loved by bees. Easy to grow, trouble free and a beautiful partner to lots of other plants – what’s not to like? Give them a go and see for yourself.
Where to plant geums?
Geums can be found in most parts of the world and are generally very tolerant but if you have a particularly tricky spot to fill, a specialist grower’s website might be a good place to do a bit of research to find the right one for you. On average, their stems reach approximately 50cm high so they look great in a soft, layered effect with other plants behind and in front and they can easily hide bare patches or gaps where needed. Smaller varieties look great in a rock garden and the versatility of all varieties make them really easy to blend with your existing plants, either with cool complimentary or vibrantly contrasting colours.
Geums like a soil that drains well, especially in winter, but that also retains adequate moisture. They will thrive in most soil types and in either sun or partial shade, as long as they don’t bake in the height of summer as this can scorch their leaves and also stop the plant flowering. A spot that gets a little afternoon shade on the hottest summer days is ideal but they’re not too fussy.
Although geums thrive best in the ground, they can be grown in larger pots but like other plants may be susceptible to vine weevils, more on this below.
When to plant geums?
Geums are best planted either in spring, once the ground has thawed, or in the autumn, before it gets too cold. This gives them the best chance to establish before the most intense weather extremes of summer and winter and your best chance of seeing gorgeous flowers in the same growing season.
If you are growing geums from seed, these can go straight into the ground, in the location that you want the plant to grow, after all risk of frost has passed in your area.
How to plant geums?
Dig your planting hole twice as large as the plants entire pot and/or root system and add plenty of organic matter to improve the moisture retention in the soil, while still allowing adequate drainage. If you have a heavy clay soil, a bit of grit at the base of the hole can help the roots from becoming waterlogged over the winter.
Place the plant into the hole with all of the leaves sitting just above the surface of the soil.
Fill in the areas around the plant with soil and firm them down gently. When you’ve completed your planting, water well and if you can, add a thick layer of mulch to help retain the moisture and protect the young shoots. Learn more here Marvellous Mulching
If you have more than one plant, a group of three can give dramatic impact and a really full display of colour, just remember to leave enough space between them for light and air to circulate when they are fully grown.
How to care for geums?
Deadheading geums
To keep your plant blooming all summer, removing the dead flower heads is really helpful. Look out for the heads where all the petals have fallen and, following the stem down to the next set of leaves, snip just above them. This will ensure the plant produces more flowers, rather than seeds, for many more weeks to come.
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When all of the flowers on a stem have completely finished, cut the stem right back to the base of the plant and a new stem should quickly replace it.
Dividing geums
To encourage long lasting, healthy and vigorously growing geums that produce plenty of flowers, divide plants every three years or so. If they’re left too long, they may become woody, flowering will reduce and they could even die. You will know when the time is right as the centre of the plant will start to look bare and brown. Doing this is easy and generates extra, free plants that you can use to fill gaps or even gift to friends and family, more information can be found here Divide and Multiply
Pest problems with geums
Geums are usually very resistant to pests, however if grown in containers, they can be susceptible to vine weevil damage. You can tell if your plant is suffering as adult weevils eat chunks out of the foliage from spring to late summer. Their young larvae also eat the roots, often causing the plant to die. They can be hard to get rid of and it’s best to remove the geum from the pot and pick off and destroy any vine weevils or larvae that you can spot. Using nematodes may also be an option. Sadly, very badly infested plants will have to be destroyed and the contaminated compost discarded. To try to prevent this, encourage wildlife into your growing space so that there are natural predators to do the work for you and when buying a new plant, immerse the pot in a bucket of water for 24 hours to flood out any of these unwanted pests.
I don’t choose to use chemical pest control but if you do, please remember that these can be very harmful for bees and other pollinators so pick off the flower stems before the buds open for the remainder of the season and then enjoy bug free blooms the following year.
Watering geums
It’s good to water geums well while they’re getting established, if they’re grown in containers that dry out quickly and in periods of excessively dry weather but otherwise they’re happy to take care of themselves and will be very low maintenance..
Winter care for geums
Most geums are evergreen, depending on the variety and conditions, so foliage can be left on over winter to provide a habitat for sheltering wildlife in the colder months. Any dead or damaged leaves can be carefully removed.
How to propagate geums ?
Geums spread and multiply through underground roots called rhizomes and new plants can be carefully dug up as the side shoots appear and then planted in another space in your garden.
As explained above, dividing the larger clumps in the spring every three years or so will not only ensure your existing plants thrive but will also give you new ones to boost your stock and gift to or swap with others. Having carefully dug up the whole plant, use a sharp spade to break the clump into smaller sections with both leaf and root attached. Replant and water regularly until established.
Geums can also be sown from seed but this is probably the hardest method and does take some time. First check that your variety is not a ‘sterile cultivar’, some of the newer varieties are and this means that the plant puts all its energy into a longer flowering display instead of producing seeds. These can of course still be propagated as above.
If you have a seed producing geum, collect the seeds from the flower heads when they have died off in the autumn, and either sow them in pots somewhere protected from the worst of the weather over the winter or sow them in early spring either in pots or where you want them to establish. With the addition of some heat, the seeds should germinate within about three weeks. It is likely that the flowers produced by your new plants will not be exactly the same as the plant you collected the seed from, due to the pollination process, but you’re sure to get something beautiful. For more ideas on how to boost the blooms in your growing space for virtually no cost, you’ll find some more great ideas here Saving Seeds - Saving Resources
I hope that you’ve found this advice helpful, and enjoy growing some trouble free, low maintenance geums that give a sensational display of flowers not just this summer but for many more to come.
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