Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw' Seeds

Geum chiloense 'Mrs J. Bradshaw' is a robust Hardy Perennial (H7). It forms a neat, low-growing mound of semi-evergreen foliage that provides year-round ground cover, with the spectacular scarlet blooms rising on elegant stems from late spring.

RHS Award of Garden Merit: This variety is a holder of the AGM, the highest accolade in UK horticulture. It is recognized for its outstanding vigour, reliability, and health in the British climate, making it an essential "backbone" plant for any cottage garden.

Longevity Tip: While 'Mrs Bradshaw' is vigorous, Geums can sometimes become short-lived if left unmanaged. To keep your plants at peak performance, we recommend lifting and dividing the clumps every three years in autumn. This rejuvenates the parent plant and provides you with several new, identical plants for free.

Geums are very straightforward to raise from seed and will often reward you with their first flowers in the very first year if sown early.

How to Sow:
Sow indoors from February to April, or directly outdoors into a seedbed in late summer or autumn. Surface sow the seeds onto moist compost and cover with only a very fine layer of vermiculite; they require light to trigger germination. Keep at 18-20°C; seedlings typically emerge in 14-21 days.

Where to Plant:
They thrive in full sun or partial shade. Geums are one of the best perennials for heavy clay soils as they prefer ground that is moisture-retentive. However, they strongly dislike winter waterlogging, so if your soil is particularly dense, add a handful of horticultural grit to the planting hole to improve drainage.

Ongoing Care:
Deadheading is the absolute secret to a long display. By regularly cutting back spent flower stems to the base of the plant, you encourage 'Mrs Bradshaw' to produce a continuous succession of new buds, extending the scarlet show from May right through to September.

The warm, rich red of 'Mrs Bradshaw' looks spectacular against cool blues or zesty greens from our range:

• 💙 Forget-me-not 'Blue': The Spring Contrast. Geum begins its flowering season just as the Forget-me-nots reach their peak. The intense scarlet red rising out of a sea of soft baby-blue is a quintessential, vibrant cottage garden look.
• 🍋 Bupleurum 'Griffithii': The Florist's Pair. The zesty lime-green flowers of Bupleurum act as the perfect foil, making the scarlet of 'Mrs Bradshaw' pop with intensity. Growing them together provides an instant, high-contrast summer bouquet.

Sow indoors in spring or outdoors in late summer for a spectacular scarlet display from May right through to September.