Geum canadense (Canada Avens)

Description

The evergreen foliage of this native ground cover make it attractive year-round. From April to June they are adorned with starry white flower. They flowers face upwards in the morning and turn downward after being pollinated in the evening. They attracti numerous types of pollinators including butterflies, bees, wasps, syrphids and beetles. The larvae of the wasps and syrphids feed on other insects making them a welcome addition to your garden Aphids and caterpillars feeding on the plants attract mother birds. Birds also feed on the seeds. Deer and rabbits usually ignore the leaves. The roots were used as a flavoring and prservative for ale.

Canada Avens can grow in both sun or shade if adequate moisture is present. They tolerate periodic flooding. They make a nice groundcover and tolerate light foot traffic and infrequent mowing.  They are native to AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC< ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV, and WY.  We propagated our plants from native populations in Beaufort Co, SC.