Water avens (Geum rivale) with a butterfly resting on top of a flower. Attractive to pollinators.

Water avens (Geum rivale)

Name: Water avens (Geum rivale)
SKU: GEURIV
Availability: InStock

Price range: £10.00 through £25.00

Water Avens is a graceful perennial with nodding, dusky pink to pale orange flowers that bloom from late spring to midsummer. Its bright green, lobed leaves and delicate purple-tinged stems add charm to damp habitats like wet woodlands, riversides, and meadows. A magnet for pollinators like bees and butterflies, this moisture-loving plant thrives in bog gardens, attracting dragonflies, frogs, and toads. Perfect for wildlife-friendly spaces.

Size

Clear

SKU: GEURIV Categories: Damp/Bog Gardens, Garden, Garden Plants, Marginal, Pond Plants Tags: Bog Garden, Flowering, Full Sun, Garden Plant, Marginal, Native, Part-Shade, RHS PFP

Water Avens is a charming herbaceous perennial that brings a touch of elegance to damp, moisture-rich spaces. With its bright green, lobed leaves and delicate, nodding flowers, this plant is a standout in any bog garden or wetland habitat. The dusky pink to pale orange blooms, tinged with purple and hanging gracefully on dark red stems, appear from late spring to midsummer, creating a soft, enchanting display.

A close relative of Wood Avens but with a more delicate beauty, Water Avens thrives in damp environments like riversides, wet woodlands, and meadows. Its nectar-rich flowers are a magnet for pollinators, including bees and butterflies, while its presence in a bog garden can attract dragonflies, frogs, toads, and other wildlife, making it a fantastic choice for boosting biodiversity.

Perfect for those looking to create a thriving, wildlife-friendly garden, Water Avens is a moisture-loving plant that combines beauty with ecological benefits.

Details

Native: Yes
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Depth: 0 – 8cm
Height: 30 – 50cm
Spread: 20 – 40cm
RHS PFP: Yes

Care Instructions

Minimal upkeep is needed, cut back the old stems after flowering. Divide in spring or autumn

Repotting Instructions

If planting in the garden, dig a hold the size of the root/soil ball and plant in damp soil.

9cm marginal pond plants require potting into a mesh basket for ponds. Place in a pond no deeper than 1/3 maximum recommended planting depth to allow the plants to establish.

1ltr marginal pond plants do not require repotting but will benefit from a bigger basket, there is no need to remove the mesh basket. Place in pond no deeper than 1/2 maximum recommended planting depth to allow the plants to establish. Plants over 60cm height growth will benefit from repotting into a larger mesh basket or should be planted in gravel to prevent them from falling over in a breeze.

3ltr and 5ltr pond plants do not require repotting; there is no need to remove the mesh basket. Place on the shelf of the pond at the required depth