Creeping Avens Grow Guide: How to Grow Creeping Avens

Creeping avens, known by its scientific name Geum reptans, is an herbaceous perennial plant native to many mountainous regions of central Asia as well as Europe, New Zealand, and Africa. Although it is not a rose, the creeping avens plant is a member of the rose family Rosaceae. Common names for this flowering plant include colewort, herb bennet, yellow-flowered mountain avens, prairie smoke, and blessed herb.

In the late spring, creeping avens blooms yellow flowers that eventually turn into dense, fuzzy seedheads containing red runners, giving them a pink appearance. Creeping avens will grow best in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 8.

Some growers use creeping avens as an herbal remedy to treat mouth ulcers, halitosis, diarrhea, and fever.

Grow creeping avens in your home garden by sowing seeds in the soil. You can also propagate them through clippings taken in early or late summer. However, the quickest and easiest way to grow creeping avens is to buy a specimen plant at a nursery or garden center and transplant it into your garden.

1. 1. Choose a planting site. Creeping avens thrives in planting areas with full sun or partial shade, so pick an area that gets a decent amount of sunlight per day.
2. 2. Prepare the soil. They grow best in soil that is rich in organic matter or mulch that also drains well.
3. 3. Dig a hole as deep as the roots and twice as wide. When you place the creeping avens root ball in the hole, the tops of the roots should only be slightly above the soil.
4. 4. Prepare the roots. Remove the plant from its growing container and very gently tease out its roots. Be careful not to damage the roots during this process.
5. 5. Plant the creeping avens. With your creeping avens plant placed in the ground, fill in the hole and tamp down the soil.
6. 6. Water the plant. Water so that the plant has moist soil, but avoid drenching the area, which can lead to root rot.

Creeping avens is relatively low-maintenance since it is drought-resistant and cold-hardy. Follow these helpful tips to keep your creeping avens healthy.

1. 1. Provide plenty of sunlight. Plant your creeping avens plant in a location that receives full sunlight. In a warmer climate, the plant may tolerate a few hours of afternoon shade.
2. 2. Water sparingly. Creeping avens plants are drought-tolerant and will usually not require much watering. Only water your creeping avens plant when the soil is completely dry because excess moisture can lead to root rot.
3. 3. Fertilize in early spring. Most creeping avens plants won’t require fertilizer, but you can feed your creeping avens plant in the early spring to help promote growth.
4. 4. Prune to control growth. A creeping avens plant may grow up to eighteen inches high, and the runners and stems can spread around the garden. Prune back creeping avens to help control the growth. Deadhead flowers (or pinch off dying blooms) and remove dead leaves as well.

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