Water avens
Geum rivale · Rosaceae
Nodding bells of dusky pink and apricot, held in purple-brown calyces on dark stems, then fluffy seed heads.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Early May to late June
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around water avens
The planner designed this bed around water avens when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 367 that suit those conditions and its wet soil, and says below why water avens stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Water avens × 8, pink
- 2 Mossy saxifrage × 13, white
- 3 Himalayan fleeceflower 'Darjeeling Red' × 6, pink
- 4 Swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet' × 3, white
- 5 Bee balm 'Purple Rooster' × 3, purple
- 6 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 7 Snowdrop × 5, white
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- In the middle. At 16 in it is the step between Himalayan fleeceflower 'Darjeeling Red' (10 in) in front and bee balm 'Purple Rooster' (3 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 8 plants in 2 groups (5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From early May to late June.
- Fills a gap. For three of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 8 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Mossy saxifrage repeats along the bed to tie it together. A cool scheme: pink, purple and white.
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 water avens goes in a border
At 16 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.
A quiet, native plant of wet meadows and stream sides, charming at close range. It needs damp soil, and has given its nodding habit to many garden hybrids.
- Pond and stream margins
- Damp woodland edges
- Native wet-soil planting
What to plant with water avens
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Marsh marigold: happy in the same wet soil.
- Japanese primrose: in flower together for six weeks, from mid May; bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Sensitive fern: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; happy in the same wet soil.
Questions about water avens
Does water avens need sun or shade?
Water avens grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants moist to wet soil, rich in organic matter, and plenty of water.
What zones does water avens grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does water avens flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to late June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Late May to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid May to late June |
| Zone 5 | Early May to late June |
| Zone 6 | Early May to late June |
| Zone 7 | Late April to mid 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 water avens 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 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many water avens 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.
What flowers after water avens?
Water avens is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Daylily: from late June to early August, 2½ ft tall.
What does water avens look like in winter?
Water avens 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 'Mai Tai' Geum 'Mai Tai'
- Avens 'Mrs J. Bradshaw' Geum 'Mrs J. Bradshaw'
- Avens 'Totally Tangerine' Geum 'Totally Tangerine'
- Prairie smoke Geum triflorum
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 16 in (40 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
- Early May to late June; hanging bells; pink, orange
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 7
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, moist to wet
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Rosaceae
Checked against VASCAN (plants of Canada). 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.