Geum rivale Coppertone

The 'Coppertone' water avens has a long summer flowering of pendant flowers, barely opened, copper orange with golden yellow hues. They display a nice contrast both with its stems and reddish-purple floral calyxes and its fairly dense tuft of light green leaves, velvety to the touch. A perennial native to wet ground, the species thrives in rich, moist soils that can even tolerate temporary immersion and full sun, as long as there is sufficient moisture in the soil. Hardy, easy to grow, and charmingly unique, this variety adds warmth to borders, flower beds, cool rockeries, and pond edges.

Originally from Europe and Asia and belonging to the Rosaceae family, Geum rivale is a hardy herbaceous perennial, hardy down to -20°C (1°F). It can be found in humid areas, especially in the mountains or woodlands. From May to August, it bears graceful bell-shaped flowers, timidly inclined, on slender, pubescent, flexible stems. They are delicately enveloped by large decorative calyxes. They produce plumeous dry fruits covered in hairs that catch the light. Its evergreen leaves, lyre-shaped with deeply lobed and toothed leaflets, have a much larger trilobed terminal foliole. This cultivar has an upright habit, reaching a height of 50cm (20in) by 50cm (20in) wide. Its basal tuft grows from rhizomes, allowing it to serve effectively as a ground cover.

It thrives in sun or partial shade, in slightly acidic to calcareous, moist to humid, humus-rich, and well-drained soil. In ideal conditions, it self-seeds spontaneously.

It is an elegant plant with subtle colours that blends well in cottage gardens as well as in more contemporary settings with the variegated and bluish foliage of Hostas. It also suits well the banks of water bodies and pond edges with Bergenias, Persicarias, and daylilies. In a cool rockery, associate it with carpets of lady's mantle and creeping bugleweed. It enhances the warm tones of Kniphofias, Crocosmias, and Coreopsis. Its beautiful dense, evergreen foliage is ideal for creating aesthetic borders all year round.

The roots are aromatic and edible, with a taste resembling liquorice and cloves. Native Americans use them to make a drink that resembles hot chocolate. They are used medicinally, like in Geum urbanum, for their astringent, anti-inflammatory, and febrifuge properties.