We love geums because they deliver. They are hardy perennials with evergreen or semi-evergreen leaves which mean they provide useful ground cover in winter. They are promiscuous and seed themselves around which means we get free plants and although they hybridise and the seed does not necessarily remain true, this is part of the joy of this plant. They throw up new colours and forms so it is fun searching for that elusive offspring which might be a winner.
As long as they have plenty of moisture, geums are unfussy and if we keep dead heading them they just keep on flowering into the autumn. We like the hot colours best – bright orange, pink, red and yellow – but there are more subtle shades available, with single of double blooms. We have decided to add lots more varieties to the garden and this year we have planted some dusky pink ones for a change.
Geums tend to have a mound of foliage and flowers either on spikes or just above the foliage so we have placed some geum borisii, which are no more than a foot high at the front of a border. The taller ones on the ‘hot’ bed at the front of the house – I wish I could find the plant labels - add movement (especially in these winds!) and we can glimpse the plants behind. There are some forget-me-nots which have migrated from our neighbour’s garden and although we would never have put orange and pale blue together, we are always open to nature’s suggestions.
After about 4 years, the clumps of geums can be divided to revitalise the roots. I have read that they can cope with light shade, so we might experiment and plant them in different growing positions. Meanwhile, the skies may be grey but our borders are full of pizzazz. Long may it continue!
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