Anemones

Overview:

Spring anemone flowers, often known as windflowers, are a delightful herald of the early spring months. This is not to get confused with the fall-blooming Japanese anemone. We will be talking about the spring-blooming Anemone in this guide post.

These are some of the first cut flowers to bloom in the cottage garden and come in a rainbow of colors from, red, pink, purple, and white. They are known for their delicate, poppy-like petals that sway gracefully in the breeze. Anemones thrive in well-drained soil and partial shade, making them a versatile choice for many gardeners. Their blooming period, is typically from late winter to early spring. We still have flowers bloom all winter here in Arizona, but the Anemones are always the first of spring flowers to bloom. They are some of the first cut flowers that are a beautiful sign of more flowers to come.

Starting seeds:

We typically do not start our Anemones from seed, we like to get corms and start them that way.

Please refer to the pre-sprout guide for ranunculus & anemones for more growing information.

When to plant outdoors: 

October and November are ideal planting times, but they can be planted up until the end of the year in warm climates. Spring plant in colder zones ( 6 & lower)

Spacing: 

4” apart

Sun: 

Full sun - partial shade

 Flower Support:

Not needed

Pinching:

Not necessary

Fertilizing: 

Anemones are moderate feeders. Give low dosages of nitrogen fertilizer to encourage growth in young plants. Weekly liquid fertilizing is also advised for optimal blooms. My favorite liquid fertilizer here.

Favorite varieties:

pastel violet:

Anemone Rainbow ‘Pastel Violet’ (above images) are a beautiful pastel fit for your spring garden. Lots of shades of violets and purples, if you are a purple lover this is a must grow.

Anemone Carmel ‘Pink’ offers a bright Barbie pink to your spring line up. Great for the gardener who just loves color. Excellent cut flower for your cottage garden.

Anemone Carmel ‘Bordouex’ has a stunning ombré from purple to burgundy, a true bordouex color as it ages.

Anemone Fullstar ‘blue’ & ‘strawberry’ offer a unique double petaled flower to your spring line-up. Loved this flower, although the stems were much shorter than other varieties. Would be great in boarder gardens or container gardens.

Anemone Carmel ‘white’ is a classic white and black anemone that is super popular in the event and wedding community. They make a striking statement in any arrangement or in the garden.

Anemone rainbow ‘Milky’ is one of the most under rated anemones. I think it has great potential in the wedding space for a gorgeous neutral colored poppy esque bloom.

Anemone Carmel ‘pastel mix’ is a great mix of flower for the first time grower. Although it’s not really pastel with all the bright red, still a great mix with a nice selection of flower colors.

Harvesting: pick blooms that have opened up at least once during the day. As you can see the blooms on the right are opening for the first time when this picture was taken. This is a great time to harvest.

You can also harvest when the stem between the bloom and the collar (leaf right below the bloom) is about 1/4” in length.

After Anemones bloom, they will die back to the ground. Let the foliage turn brown before removing it. This will allow the energy to go back into the bulb for blooms the following year. Leave bulbs in the ground in Zones 6 & up. They will perennialize for you and come back year to year.