There is a reason those apricot-orange flowers stop gardeners mid-scroll: they belong to Geum, or avens, a sturdy perennial that looks airy and delicate but behaves like a garden workhorse.
The standout sold as ‘Totally Tangerine’ can bloom from late spring into summer, with repeats into fall in favorable conditions. Give it sun, soil that drains yet stays reasonably moist, and an occasional haircut, and it returns year after year without demanding center stage.
Meet Geum, the Flower That Seems to Float
Geum—pronounced “JEE-um”—is the botanical name for a group of perennials commonly called avens. They belong to the rose family, although their simple, open flowers can look more like little buttercups.
The trick is in the architecture. A low mound of textured green leaves stays close to the soil while fine, branching stems lift the flowers above neighboring foliage. From a few steps away, the blooms seem to hover.
That makes Geum unusually useful at the front or middle of a border. It adds color without building a solid wall, so salvias, hardy geraniums, ornamental grasses, and other companions remain visible through the stems.
The supplied artwork strongly resembles an orange-flowered Geum, but a picture alone cannot confirm a named cultivar. Real plants range from clear yellow and red to peach, apricot, and near-orange, with single, semi-double, upright, or nodding flowers. Buy by the nursery label, not by resemblance to one image.
Why ‘Totally Tangerine’ Gets So Much Attention
The famous tangerine-colored version is worth naming precisely: Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’, also sold under the synonym ‘Tim’s Tangerine’. It is not the same plant as the red avens pictured above, but the close-up shows the family’s telltale saucer-shaped flower and busy center of stamens.
‘Totally Tangerine’ is sterile, so it does not spend energy making viable seed or sprinkle unwanted seedlings around the garden. The Royal Horticultural Society notes its unusually long season, from late spring into autumn under suitable conditions.
According to its Walters Gardens plant profile, the leafy mound is about 14 inches tall, while flowering stems can reach roughly 30 inches. Expect a spread near 18 inches. That height sounds substantial, but the thin stems keep the effect loose rather than bulky.
Walters lists this cultivar for USDA hardiness zones 4 through 7, in full sun to part shade, and describes it as attractive to bees and butterflies. Zones are only a starting point, though. Hot, humid summers and soggy winter soil can be harder on many Geums than winter cold itself.
The color also earns its keep. Apricot-orange acts like a warm bridge between spring yellows and summer purples and blues. Pair it with violet salvia, blue catmint, dark-leaved heuchera, or pale ornamental grasses and it looks designed even when the planting is pleasantly informal.
The One Rule That Makes Geum Feel Carefree
Do not confuse “well-drained” with “bone dry.” Most border Geums prefer fertile soil that releases excess water but does not bake hard in summer. If the roots swing from winter puddles to summer dust, the plant is likely to look far less carefree.
The water avens pictured above, Geum rivale, proves why the plant tag matters. It naturally prefers cooler, moisture-retentive conditions and can handle a damper spot than many showy border hybrids. Alpine Geums sit at the other end of the spectrum and demand sharper drainage.
For ‘Totally Tangerine’, choose full sun in cool and moderate climates. In the South, a little protection from fierce afternoon sun can preserve better-looking foliage, while enough morning light keeps flowering strong.
- Plant in spring or fall so roots establish during mild weather.
- Follow the cultivar label for spacing; around 18 inches suits ‘Totally Tangerine’ at maturity.
- Water through dry spells during the first growing season. Established plants still appreciate moisture during prolonged drought.
- Add a light compost mulch in spring, keeping it away from the crown. Rich feeding is rarely necessary in ordinary garden soil.
Avoid burying the crown and do not park the plant where water sits all winter. Containers can work, but pots dry faster and expose roots to bigger temperature swings, so they require more attention than the same Geum growing in the ground.
Two Tiny Chores Keep It Looking Young
The first chore is deadheading. When a cluster fades and the petals fall, cut that flower stem all the way back to the leafy base. This looks cleaner than snipping off individual heads and encourages fresh stems on reblooming cultivars.
There is one good reason to skip a few: some fertile species develop feathery or bristly seed heads with real texture. The developing head above belongs to Geum coccineum. ‘Totally Tangerine’ is sterile, so its long show is not dependent on seed production.
The second chore happens only every few years. Older clumps may flower less and thin out in the middle. That hollow center is the plant asking to be divided, not a signal to throw it away.
In early to mid-spring, lift the clump, separate healthy outer rosettes with good roots, refresh the planting hole with organic matter, and replant them at a comfortable spacing. The RHS Geum growing guide recommends this simple reset when the center begins to decline.
Leave a basal rosette of foliage in place over winter and remove only old, tatty leaves in spring or fall. Geums are generally trouble-free, although drought stress can invite powdery mildew, and sawfly larvae or leaf miners may occasionally mark the leaves.
So yes, this can be the perennial you wish you had planted decades ago—but buy the right one for your garden. Match the cultivar to your climate and soil, keep the roots evenly comfortable, and divide before the center goes bald. That small amount of attention buys years of flowers that look much more difficult than they are.
Image Attributions
Featured Image
- “The Carefree Perennial I Should’ve Planted Decades Ago” — artwork supplied by JPE Media and used with permission.
Meet Geum, the Flower That Seems to Float
- “Geum ‘Prince of Orange’ kz01.jpg” by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Why ‘Totally Tangerine’ Gets So Much Attention
- “Geum coccineum 002.JPG” by H. Zell, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
The One Rule That Makes Geum Feel Carefree
- “Geum rivale clump.jpg” by Meneerke bloem, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Two Tiny Chores Keep It Looking Young
- “Geum coccineum 003.JPG” by H. Zell, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
