Perennial Focus

I regard the return of the robins and the blooming of Narcissus as the signs of early spring, but the true awakening of the perennial garden does not occur until middle to late May. One of the stars of that renaissance is Geum. Its brightly colored flowers will gladden any heart.

The dark green, dentate foliage is compound, with the end of the leaf having the largest lobe; the clump forms a very attractive mound. It stays relatively low to the ground so this is definitely a perennial for the front or middle of the border.

Geum is a fast grower that is rarely bothered by pests or diseases but should be divided every year or two. Division will improve the look and health of the foliage as well as the amount of bloom. Evidently young or newly divided plants bloom longer and more strongly than older ones. Deadheading will also contribute to longer flowering time as well as rebloom.

While there are fifty species of Geum, we only see a few of them for sale. Many of the catalogs do not even specify which species they carry and only list them by cultivar name. For the most part, culture is the same regardless of species: good drainage, ample moisture, and some protection from afternoon sun.

I have been growing 'Fireball' and 'Werner Arends' in the morning sun quite successfully for three years, and last fall I planted Starker's Magnificum', a tangerine orange double, in a full sun situation to test the requirement for protection from the afternoon sun. Some of my reading indicates that this is more necessary in the South than the North although we all know that our summers can be quite harsh.

Geum flowers can be single, semi-double or double in shades of red, yellow and orange. 'Werner Arends' is a cultivar of Geum x borisii and its semi-double orange flowers have a hint of red in the petals that surround bright yellow stamens. Hardy in zones 3 to 7, it grows 9 to12 inches high and 12 inches wide. It blooms profusely in late May and early June.

Better known are the Geum chiloense, cultivars that, as the species name implies, are native to Chile; they are hardy in zones 4 to 7. These cultivars grow 20 to 24 inches high and 18 inches wide and are best grown in partial shade. The most well known cultivars are 'Lady Stratheden' which has deep yellow, semi-double flowers and 'Mrs.Bradshaw' that have brick red, semi-double flowers. I have not grown either of these but Armitage says that they only perform well for a few years.

I have been very happy with the hybrid named 'Fireball'. It usually starts blooming in the third week of May and continues for most of June. The inch and a half, yellow-orange, semi-double flowers are held well above the foliage on 26 inches wiry stems. Eventually it will be 24 inches wide.

This one is hardy in zones 5 to 7. Mine is planted with a bright pink hardy geranium but this color combination may be too strong for many people. However, if you plant it with one of the blue Columbine, those same people will probably say, "Ahh-hh-hh".
So if you want to add a little pizzazz to the late spring garden, try some Geum.

By Bobbie Schwartz, APLD of Bobbie's Green Thumb

Bobbie Schwartz, owner of Bobbie's Green Thumb in Shaker Hts., Ohio, is a landscape designer, consultant, free-lance writer, and lecturer whose specialties are perennial gardens and four-season landscapes. In addition to being an Ohio Landscape Association (OLA) member, she is an active member of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA) and Perennial Plant Association (PPA). Bobbie is the immediate Past President of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD). Bobbie currently serves on the ONLA Plant Selection Committee, Nursery Stock Survey Committee and Program Committee. Bobbie can be reached at (216) 752-9449.

Photo courtesy of the Missouri Botanical Garden.