Geum Cocktail Tequila Sunrise

This Geum coccineum 'Tequila Sunrise' is a recent creation from the 'Cocktail' series, developed for its diaphanous flowers with very fresh colors on sturdy and floriferous plants from spring to summer. The flower of 'Cocktail Tequila Sunrise', single or semi-double, shows a subtle blend of yellow and salmon pink to deeper pink on the edges, a color highlighted by long purplish stems gracefully erect on a tuft of very fresh green leaves. Simple and robust, geum used to be found in all flower gardens. They are making a comeback in our borders and terraces, in the sun, in cool, well-drained and fertile soil. 

Geum are herbaceous perennials of the Rosaceae family, very hardy, native to temperate or colder regions of the northern and southern hemispheres. Geum 'Cocktail Tequila Sunrise' is a recent horticultural hybrid, selected by a nursery in the American Midwest. This perennial plant forms a clump of basal foliage composed of upright, semi-evergreen leaves in winter. Their color is a light and vivid green, they are rounded and lobed, finely velvety, and measure 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6in) long. From May-June to July, on thin dark and ramified stems, very loosely erect above the foliage, up to 10 flowers per stem bloom in a cyme. Each flower measures 4 cm (2in) in diameter and is slightly translucent, animated by clearly visible veins, and enhanced by a large bicolored stamen cluster, yellow and faded red in the center. The yellow petals are more or less edged with pink-red. This fairly tall variety measures 55 cm (22in) in height and about 30 cm in width. Like many long-flowering perennials, this avens does not have a very long lifespan, so it is recommended to divide it every three years to keep it in the garden for longer.

Hardy and very floriferous, geum is an easy plant, very accommodating, to be rediscovered for its simplicity and solidity. It appreciates sunny or semi-shaded situations and grows in ordinary, cool but well-drained soil. To fully enjoy its magnificent flowering, this beautiful variety, 'Cocktail Tequila Sunrise', will be ideally placed in borders of flower beds, mixed borders, in cool rockeries or even in pots. Its flower stems will make magnificent bouquets. Requiring a little space to grow well, it will be necessary to leave a sufficiently clear space around its base. It will blend wonderfully with other spring and summer flowering perennials, its pastel color contrasting judiciously with the blue of Delphiniums, perennial geraniums and Veronicas. By mixing several varieties of benoite together, you can create sublime scenes with romantic or, on the contrary, vibrant colors! In the sun, it will perfectly match Daylilies, Rudbeckias, Scabiosa, and Shrub Carnations.