Avens 'Mai Tai'
Geum 'Mai Tai' · Rosaceae
Ruffled, semi-double flowers that open apricot and fade to peach-pink, on dark burgundy stems.
- Size
- 18 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Mid May to mid July
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around avens 'Mai Tai'
The planner designed this bed around avens 'Mai Tai' 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 'Mai Tai' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Avens 'Mai Tai' × 8, orange
- 2 Blue moor grass × 8, purple
- 3 Leadwort × 11, blue
- 4 Wild quinine × 3, white
- 5 Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' × 3, blue
- 6 Blue oat grass × 1, tan
- 7 Star of Persia × 3, purple
Why this plant
- The only open bowls. The others are spires, dense clusters, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only orange. The one hot colour: every other flower here is cool or neutral.
Why here
- In the middle. At 18 in it is the step between blue moor grass (10 in) in front and blue oat grass (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to blue oat grass (2½ ft) and Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 8 plants in 2 groups (5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for 9 weeks. From mid May to mid July.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 8 of the 9 groups (89%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowers run from mid April to early October: 25 weeks in all. There is more leadwort than anything else, 11 plants in all.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. 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 'Mai Tai' goes in a border
At 18 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
One of the Cocktail series bred in Illinois for heat tolerance. The soft colours are easier to place than the old scarlet and yellow kinds.
- Soft apricot for late spring
- The front of a border
- Cutting
What to plant with avens 'Mai Tai'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Globeflower: in flower together for six weeks, from mid May; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Coral bells: its burgundy leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
- Lady's mantle: in flower together for six weeks, from late May; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about avens 'Mai Tai'
Does avens 'Mai Tai' need sun or shade?
Avens 'Mai Tai' 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 'Mai Tai' 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 'Mai Tai' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid May to mid 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 | Mid May to mid July |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early May to mid July |
| Zone 7 | Early May to early July |
| Zone 8 | Late April to early July |
| Zone 9 | Mid April to late June |
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 'Mai Tai' be planted?
14 in (35 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many avens 'Mai Tai' plants do I need?
At 14 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 9 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 9 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 28 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 eight in two groups.
Is there a native plant like avens 'Mai Tai'?
Avens 'Mai Tai' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Sundrops 'Fireworks': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early June to mid July, yellow, not orange.
- Iceland poppy: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 4 in narrower, fine leaves, not medium.
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 'Mai Tai'?
Avens 'Mai Tai' is over by mid 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.
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Ornamental onion 'Millenium': from mid July to late August, 18 in tall.
What does avens 'Mai Tai' look like in winter?
Avens 'Mai Tai' 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 'Lady Stratheden' Geum 'Lady Stratheden'
- 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
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 14 in (35 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid May to mid July; open bowls; orange, pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mounding, 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.