Avens 'Lady Stratheden'
Geum 'Lady Stratheden' · Rosaceae
Semi-double, clear buttercup-yellow flowers on branching stems, the yellow counterpart of 'Mrs J. Bradshaw'.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late May to late July
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around avens 'Lady Stratheden'
The planner designed this bed around avens 'Lady Stratheden' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why avens 'Lady Stratheden' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Avens 'Lady Stratheden' × 3, yellow
- 2 Blue moor grass × 8, purple
- 3 Leadwort × 13, blue
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 5, yellow
- 5 Wild quinine × 3, white
- 6 Globe arborvitae 'Danica' × 1, green leaves
- 7 Hardy gladiolus × 4, pink
- 8 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only open bowls. The others are spires, dense clusters, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- At the back, and only just seen. At 24 in it is about the height of globe arborvitae 'Danica' (24 in) in front of it.
- A step in the back row. Next to hardy gladiolus (2½ ft) and brown-eyed Susan (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 10 weeks. From late May to late July.
- Part of the bed's peak. With brown-eyed Susan and wild quinine in late July: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Wild quinine and brown-eyed Susan anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, from late July.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where avens 'Lady Stratheden' goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in). It is airy enough to see through, so it can also come forward and veil what is behind it.
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The two have been planted together for a century. On its own, the yellow is a fine partner for blue: catmint, salvias and early geraniums.
- Yellow for early summer
- Cottage borders
- Partnering with blue flowers
What to plant with avens 'Lady Stratheden'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Salvia 'May Night': purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for seven weeks.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for eight weeks.
- Lady's mantle: in flower together for six weeks, from late May; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about avens 'Lady Stratheden'
Does avens 'Lady Stratheden' need sun or shade?
Avens 'Lady Stratheden' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does avens 'Lady Stratheden' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does avens 'Lady Stratheden' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to late July. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Late May to late July |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid May to late July |
| Zone 7 | Early May to mid July |
| Zone 8 | Early May to mid July |
| Zone 9 | Late April to mid July |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should avens 'Lady Stratheden' be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many avens 'Lady Stratheden' plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is there a native plant like avens 'Lady Stratheden'?
Avens 'Lady Stratheden' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Golden Alexanders: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in taller, flowers early May to mid June.
- Gloriosa daisy: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in taller, flowers late June to mid September.
- Tickseed 'Sunray': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in shorter, flowers early June to late August.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after avens 'Lady Stratheden'?
Avens 'Lady Stratheden' is over by late July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Ornamental onion 'Millenium': from mid July to late August, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall.
What does avens 'Lady Stratheden' look like in winter?
Avens 'Lady Stratheden' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Geum
- Avens 'Mai Tai' Geum 'Mai Tai'
- Avens 'Mrs J. Bradshaw' Geum 'Mrs J. Bradshaw'
- Avens 'Totally Tangerine' Geum 'Totally Tangerine'
- Prairie smoke Geum triflorum
- Water avens Geum rivale
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle, or further forward: it is airy enough to see through
- Flowers
- Late May to late July; open bowls; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Rosaceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.