Golden Acre Home & Garden Centre's Plant Library

Other Names:  Chilean Avens

Group/Class:  Cocktails™ Series

Brand:  Darwin Perennials

Description:

Beautiful clusters of ruffled flowers that are orange-red, and brushed with gold, on dark red stems; blooms throughout the summer; stunning in borders and perennial beds

Ornamental Features

Cocktails™ Alabama Slammer Avens has orange frilly flowers with red overtones, gold eyes and gold streaks at the ends of the stems from mid spring to late summer, which emerge from distinctive dark red flower buds, and which are interesting on close inspection. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its tomentose lobed leaves remain green in colour throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Cocktails™ Alabama Slammer Avens is an herbaceous perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Cocktails™ Alabama Slammer Avens is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Cocktails™ Alabama Slammer Avens will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 14 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 3 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Cocktails™ Alabama Slammer Avens is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.