Do you grow Geums?

I have been gardening forevcer. Well, seems like it anyway. But sometimes I stumble upon a plant that I have never grown.

I sent for a catalog from Annies Annuals (and now perennials too) and there is the most beautiful Geum listed. This one is bright red and called Blazing Sunset.

Anyway, I don't know anything about geums. All advice appreciated. Thanks!

Honestly if I have seen Geums before, they didn't impress me. This one Blazing Sunset did. I love the color, I love the fact that the plant is not overly large and sprawly. I love the fact that this one blooms all the time. Thats what I like, A perennial that just keeps on blooming.

I just ordered ten plants.

Rita, I have the regular Mrs. Bradshaw and Lady Stratheden, and they do fine as fillers in the garden and they are super easy to take care of - basically no care and they come back every year. But I am intrigued by the Blazing sunset too - I may get a couple. You must have a lot of space for 10 of them LoL. It would be great if they bloomed all summer. I am revamping part of my front yard so I am going to, hopefully, have room for lots more stuff. Here's a photo of Mrs. Bradshaw - they are blooming right now in my zone, but stop after about 3 weeks.

They are not all going in the same place but different areas in the garden to act as fillers. I am not really sure how big these will grow, not having had them before. But just like my Catmint, Walkers Low, I can cut them back some if the sprawl too much.

I thought about the Blazing Sunset variety since I posted this but honestly, I just could not resist. The picture in the Annies Annual Catalog is drop dead gorgeous.

I love geums. They like sun, but do well in half a day's sun. They're well-behaved, ie never floppy, and though they spread, they're never out of control. They're lovely, and if deadheaded, will bloom for quite a while, and then will send out new blooms periodically as the season goes on. I think you'll be happy with them.

I hope so. Besides It's good to try something new sometimes. Mostly they are going in some shade.

I can't vouch for them in shade. Did Annie's say they'd work in shade?

Not shade. Some shade as in not full sun. It said sun part shade at Annies.

Ohhh. okay. I'll go along with that. I really do think you'll like them. I bet you'll add some other cultivars later.

They grow well in pots, too!

I never thought of doing them in pots. Thats because I am so used to only annuals in pots. But I will have to think about that.

I kind of rotate them through in a season or two. I use shrubs when they are small, too.

I had Geum Avens with Physocarpus 'Coppertina' and Carex buchananii and trailing Rosemary and another with a burgundy Phormium and Heuchera 'Obsidian' and Euphorbia 'Bonfire' and Geum 'Lady Stratheden'. I like those rich colors.

These were in my full sun (our temps don't get above 85 much in the summer and I don't have that very late-day sun because I have a forest to the west of me).

Sadly, my rosemary, phormium and Euphorbia all rotted this year. It was a warm winter, but at the end we had lots of rain and huge temperature fluctuations as things were leafing out.

Kathy

Rita, somebody posted a pictures of using Geum "Fireball" with asclepias tuberosa "Gay butterflies" and what a nice combination. I put that on my wish list already. They also combined "Gay butterfiles" with black eye stella lily. There looks like there is a single flowered and a double flowered geum varieity. Like that double one.

My geums have not amounted to anything as yet. The plants are so very small. I would not buy there again. I unfortunately did NOT buy them at Annies. Big mistake as my plants are still small and puny.

I raised some Geum "Mrs. Bradshaw" from seed. If I remember correctly they flowered the second year from a Spring planting, and have been doing so for three years now. They are growing in full sun (in South Africa). I can't wait for their bright little faces each year... they have even self-sowed. Just love them.