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Geum Rivale

Water Avens

£6.99
35736
33 item(s)
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At a Glance

Geum rivale
A charming native perennial with nodding, bell-shaped flowers and a soft, natural look for borders and damp spots

 

Overview
Geum rivale, commonly known as "Water Avens", is a delightful and easy-going perennial that brings gentle colour and movement to the garden. Native to the UK, it’s well-suited to informal planting schemes, wildlife gardens, and damp or partially shaded borders. With its nodding, dusky pink flowers and attractive foliage, this hardy plant is perfect for everyday gardeners looking to enhance their outdoor space with natural beauty and low maintenance.

 

Key Features

  • Botanical name: Geum rivale

  • Common name: Water Avens

  • Plant type: Herbaceous perennial

  • Height: 60cm (2ft)

  • Spread: 60cm (2ft)

  • Flowering Time: Late spring to early summer (May to July)

  • Position: Best in partial shade but tolerates full sun in moist soils

  • Soil: Prefers moist, humus-rich soil; thrives in heavier soils including clay

  • Hardiness: Hardy in the UK down to temperatures of -20 degrees Celcius (RHS hardiness rating H7)

 

Flowers and Foliage
Water Avens produces softly nodding, bell-shaped flowers in warm tones of pink, mauve, and orange, often with a dusky, reddish calyx. These delicate blooms appear on slender, wiry stems above a m
ound of attractive, lobed foliage that stays tidy throughout the growing season. The leaves are a deep green and form a neat clump, offering structure and texture even when the plant is not in bloom.

 

Garden Uses
Geum rivale is ideal for naturalistic planting, woodland edges, bog gardens, or the margins of ponds and streams. It also fits beautifully into cottage gardens and mixed borders, especially where moisture is retained in the soil. Pair it with other moisture-loving plants such as hostas, primulas, ferns, and astilbes for a soft, layered look.

 

Wildlife Benefits
The open, nodding flowers are attractive to pollinators including bees and hoverflies. Its native status also makes it a valuable addition to wildlife-friendly gardens, supporting biodiversity and providing a nectar source during the late spring to early summer period.

 

Care and Maintenance

  • Watering: Keep soil moist, especially in drier weather or if planted in full sun

  • Deadheading: Remove spent flowers to tidy the plant and encourage further blooming

  • Feeding: A mulch of garden compost in spring will help support healthy growth

  • Dividing: Can be divided in spring or autumn every few years to maintain vigour and increase plant stock

  • Pruning: Cut back old or tired foliage after flowering to encourage fresh growth

 

Summary
Geum rivale is a gentle yet striking perennial that thrives in damper areas of the garden. With its soft, nodding flowers and attractive foliage, it’s a perfect choice for gardeners wanting a natural, wildlife-friendly addition that’s both hardy and easy to care for. Whether you're filling a shady border or softening the edge of a pond, Water Avens brings a timeless charm and a welcome splash of spring-to-summer colour.

Buying Perennials from Jacksons Nurseries

At Jacksons Nurseries we lightly trim back our perennials after flowering and trim them back at the end of the season to ensure that the plants remain neat and tidy whilst in the pot. The more tender the plant the less we cut back to help protect exposed stems from winter frost. Depending on the plant variety we will then prune back further in spring once the risk of the more severe frosts is over.

As a result, depending on the time of year you buy perennials, they may not look like images showing their ‘prime time’ in flower and looking at their best.

From late autumn onwards and dependent on variety, there may be very little visible above the soil except for a few cut back dormant leaves or stems. It is perfectly normal for dormant plants to look like this from autumn onwards, they will however burst back into life in spring.

Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.

Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.

Perennials are described and classified differently by different gardeners but all would agree that they are plants that come into flower every year from early spring to late summer, the exact time dependent on variety and most die back to ground level in autumn and winter.

As for all plants, soil preparation is time well spent. Dig over the area to be planted ensuring that the ground is free draining. If not then you may wish to either consider planting in a different spot or raising the level of the planting area by adding additional topsoil, well rotted garden compost and/or well rotted manure. Add ‘Fish, Blood and Bone’ fertiliser or a high potash fertiliser to encourage good root growth and development.

It’s always a good idea to plant a few of the same plant together, we recommend planting in 3’s or 5’s to provide a bold effect but allowing them plenty of room to develop.

Always check eventual plant heights when planning borders to ensure that the taller plants are at the back (or at the centre of an island bed) followed by the medium and then smaller low growing plants.

Remember to deadhead perennials after flowering, trim back lightly in autumn as required to tidy the border and if necessary trim again in spring once the risk of heavy frost has passed.

If perennials get too big, start to flower less and less or if it seems to be dying off from the centre, consider dividing the plant but always check that the particular variety is happy to be divided and that you divide at the right time of year for the plant.

By using this simple guide and a little time, perennials can make an absolutely spectacular difference to your garden.

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