The
scarlet avens was to be found generally in the Victorian
country cottage garden rather than the town or more
formal garden.
The
avens was a rosaceous plant, and Victorian England had
two 'wildings' of the tribe - the common aven (Geum
Urbanum) which had yellow flowers, and the water
avens (G. rivale) which had nodding flowers
of purple and orange. The scarlet avens was an introduced
plant from Chili and there were two or three varieties
of it in cultivation.
Hibberd
believed it should be more widely used in the town garden,
where it would make a valuable contribution to flower
borders with moist peaty or sandy soil.
