Geum Cocktail™ 'WET KISS'

Avens is a pretty perennial whose wild forms can be found on every continent except Australia. There are several species being crossbred for more attractive flower colours, extended blooming time, or better hardiness. All varieties we sell are reliable and hardy in C.E. climate without any help or protection.

The Cocktail ™ series of avens is bred by Brent Arpad Horvath from Hebron, Illinois, USA. It already contains 8 beautiful varieties, all of which he named after a favourite cocktail whose colours match the flower colours: Alabama Slammer, Banana Daiquiri, Citronage, Cosmopolitan, Dark and Stormy, Spanish Fly, Tequila Sunrise, and Wet Kiss. He found the latter as a spontaneous mutation of the successful Mai Tai variety in 2010, and it was granted a US plant patent No. PP27227 in 2016.

Wet Kiss avens makes only about 3-4 cm wide, semi-double, beautifully coloured flowers in a mixture of orange, salmon, and vermillion tones. It was named after a cocktail that contains red watermelon Schnapps, Amaretto, and lemon juice. The petals are slightly ruffled at margins and show prominent veins when viewed from up close. It blooms from the beginning of May for 4-5 weeks and under good growing conditions it can re-bloom sporadically until late summer.

It grows vigorously and makes dense and compact tufts. Flowering stems seldom exceed 35 cm. Basal leaves are rounded, shallowly toothed, attractively green, and deciduous. Remove all foliage in early spring.

Avens is not picky about soil type. It does best in fertile, medium moist but well-drained soil in full sun. A little extra feeding will bring lush foliage but is not necessary for flower production – avens will always flower if grown in full sun. Hardy to abt. -29 °C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 26-04-2022