<em>Geum</em>, avens: 5 ideas for successful combinations

Avens in a naturalistic garden

Make way for vibrant, deep colours for a bohemian naturalistic atmosphere! Don’t hesitate to pair orange with purple, two complementary colours that contrast and catch the eye. In this case, feel free to indulge and create a scene with an abundance of very colourful flowers.

Pair orange geums with sages that bear violet spikes. Add linarias, mulleins, carmine-coloured cosmos, marigolds to play off the geums, ornamental alliums, and don’t forget pretty cerinthes that you will let self-seed.

An example of a bohemian naturalistic planting: Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, Cosmos ‘Sonate Carmin’, Calendula officinalis, Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’, Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ (or ‘Purpurascens Kiwi Blue’), Allium aflatunense ‘Purple Sensation’, Verbascum ‘Helen Johnson’ and Linaria purpurea

Do add a few grasses, essential in a naturalistic garden: stipes or melicas, for example.

Wood avens in a shaded area

Avens thrive in partial shade. Make the most of it to create pretty woodland scenes! To do so, pair them with handsome fronds of ferns, hostas, bugles, columbines, astrantias and other beauties that appreciate cool, dappled conditions. Choose light colours: white, pale yellow to brighten and create contrast with foliage.

Example of a partial-shade combination: Geum ‘Gimlet’, Ajuga reptens ‘Black Scallop’, Polystichum setiferum ‘Proliferum’, Trollius ‘Cheddar’, Euphorbia dulcis ‘Chameleon’ and Alchemilla erythropoda

To this scene you can add white astrantias, ‘Yellow Queen’ columbines and Iris sibirica ‘Dreaming Yellow’ for a fresh, elegant ambience. Also consider hostas, rodgersias and Japanese primulas.

Finally, don’t hesitate to play with differences in leaf shapes and textures!

Avens in a romantic border

Geum often declinate in warm, vivid colours but some varieties offer softer shades. This makes them easier to incorporate into a romantic setting. You can pair them with roses, peonies, avens, burnets, scabious or pretty poppies.

An example of a romantic combination: rose ‘Tuscany Superb’, Aquilegia ‘White Barlow’ and Alchemilla mollis, Scabiosa columbaria ‘Pink Mist’, Geum ‘Bell Bank’, rose ‘Ballerina’, rose ‘Marguerite Hilling’, Persicaria bistorta ‘Superba’, Scabiosa ‘Black Chile’

Complete the scene with asters to flower in autumn.

Wood avens for borders

Geums are perfect border plants! Not too tall, they accompany catmints, centauries, veronicas, small salvias and companions. To flower earlier in spring, also plant Scilla peruviana and Pulsatilla, whose faded flowers remain very decorative.

An example of a border planting: Geum ‘Mai Tai’, Lupin ‘West Country Masterpiece’ (in the background), Allium nigrum, Oxalis triangularis, Allium christophii, Carex comans ‘Milk Chocolate’ and Nepeta ‘Purrsian Blue’

You can also combine different varieties to create a colour gradient such as ‘Mai Tai’, ‘Cosmopolitan’ and ‘Bell Banks’. Add some pink columbines. Then sow some Geranium pyrenaicum. It will look superb!

Avens with ornamental foliage

Gardeners know well, decorative foliage is very valuable in the garden as it pleases the eye for much of the year and even all year for evergreens. Among these elegant foliage plants, you can choose from a wide range of hostas, heucheras, ferns, lamiums or Myosotis from the Caucasus. Think of ornamental grasses, euphorbias (some are variegated), hardy geraniums or New Zealand iris in mild climates. Then simply tuck in some small geums to add a few bright touches.

An idea for pairing with foliage: Geum ‘Eos’, Hosta sieboldiana ‘Frances Williams’, Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’, Ligularia przewalskii, Hosta sieboldiana var elegans, Heuchera ‘Caramel’, Carex elata ‘Aurea’