Bennet's Root

How to grow Bennet's Root

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

This is a native woodland and hedgerow plant rather than a border ornamental, and in most gardens it arrives on its own. If you want it, it establishes easily in shade, including dry shade under shrubs and hedges. It is not showy: the yellow flowers are small and scattered.

Pruning

Cut the flowered stems off before the seedheads ripen if you want to stop it spreading. Otherwise it needs no attention.

Propagation

It seeds itself very effectively; the hooked seeds catch on clothing and animal fur. Division in spring or autumn also works but is rarely necessary.

Pests and diseases

Untroubled by most pests and diseases. Powdery mildew occasionally on the foliage.

Value to wildlife

The small flowers are used by hoverflies and small bees, and it provides useful low cover in shaded, semi-wild parts of a garden.

Notes

Most gardeners meet this plant as a weed rather than a choice, and it hybridises with ornamental geums such as Geum rivale, which can muddy a named cultivar over time. Remove the flowerheads before seed sets if you grow other geums nearby.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Geum urbanum but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

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