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Geum rivale

water avens

Rosaceae Europe, Asia, and North America

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterHigh

HardinessZones 3–8

Overview

Geum rivale is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial in the rose family, growing 8–24 inches (20–60 cm) tall from a short rhizome. The basal leaves are pinnate with a large rounded terminal lobe, forming a low rosette, while the few stem leaves are smaller and three-lobed. From April to July it bears nodding, bell-shaped flowers on dark, hairy stalks, each about 0.6–1 inch (15–25 mm) long with dusky pink to orange petals held in a purplish-brown calyx. The flowers are followed by rounded heads of feathery, hook-tipped seeds that catch on fur and clothing. The plant grows in wet ground and spreads slowly into small patches. It hybridises freely with wood avens Geum urbanum where the two grow together, producing intermediate forms. It grows in damp meadows, marshes, wet woodland, stream sides, and shaded ditches on neutral to alkaline soils. The clump stays as a low rosette through winter.

Native Range

Native to Europe, western and northern Asia, and North America, with a broad circumboreal range. It grows in wet meadows, marshes, fens, wet woodland, and along streams and ditches, usually on neutral to base-rich soils.

Suggested Uses

Used in bog gardens, pond and stream margins, damp borders, and rain gardens. Suited to wet, shaded spots where many border plants fail. Grown in wildlife and cottage-style plantings for its nodding spring flowers and as an early nectar source for bees.

How to Identify

Recognized by nodding, bell-shaped flowers in dusky pink to orange, cupped in a maroon-brown calyx on dark hairy stalks. The pinnate basal leaves have a large rounded end lobe. The drooping flowers and damp habitat separate it from wood avens Geum urbanum, which holds small yellow flowers upright in drier ground.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height8" - 2'

Width/Spread1' - 1'6"

Reaches mature size in approximately 2 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~10 weeks

Spring Summer

Blooms from April to July, with peak flowering in May and June. The nodding flowers open over several weeks and are worked by long-tongued bees. Feathery hooked seed heads follow and ripen through summer.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

dusky pink to orange with maroon calyx

Foliage Description

mid green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-8 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

clay loam silt

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2-3 years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun to part shade on moist to wet, fertile soils with a pH of 6.0–7.5, including heavy clay and boggy ground. Consistent moisture is needed, and the plant wilts and browns in dry soil. No special feeding is required in fertile ground. Clumps are divided in spring or autumn to renew growth and increase stock. Hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8. It self-seeds modestly and hybridises with nearby Geum spp. species, so seedlings may not come true.

Pruning

Spent flower stalks are cut back after bloom to tidy the clump and limit self-seeding. The old foliage is trimmed in late autumn, leaving the basal rosette. Division every few years in spring keeps the clump growing strongly.

Pruning Schedule

summerfall