Adorable Anemones!

The Anemone Bulb, also known as windflower bulbs, form a large and versatile group of plants. Anemone flower bulbs grow with lots of very colorful petal blooms, either like daises or like poppies. They symbolize unfading love!

Both Anemone blanda and Anemone coronaria are native to the Mediterranean region. Anemona coronaria have been grown as a garden flower in Europe since the 16th century.   Anemones are perennial herbs in the genus Anemone and the family ranunculas.

Anemones look nice in borders, and they make good naturalizing flower bulbs.  They are also very nice when used in a cut flower arrangement.  They are a great choice for wooded locations and rock gardens.  Above its fernlike foliage the blooms reach 2-6 inches higher and they close up at night and in inclement weather.

These bulbs are really tubers or rhizomes.  As pictured above, they really look like dried up, shriveled up bulbs.  Because of their hardness, it is recommended that you soak them for about 4-6 hours before planting them.  Some types of anemone flowers are planted in the spring. Others are planted in the fall. Anemones that are planted in the fall will bloom early in the spring. The spring planted bulbs will bloom in June or August.  Anemone plants are adaptable to many types of soil as long as it drains well.  Anemones do best when they grow in full sun during the morning hours, then in the shade during the hot afternoons.  Depending on the species, anemones are hardy (returning each year) between zones 4-9.

Anemone blanda

Mixed Blanda

These spring-blooming bulbs have daisy-like flowers in blue, purple, pink, or white. The foliage is fern-like. The plant grows 3-6 inches tall and has a spread of three to six inches.  These bulbs are hardy in zones 4 to 9, where they should be planted in fall for spring bloom. They will grow in full sun to shade, and they naturalize easily. They should be kept moist throughout their growing season. Plant 2 inches apart and about 2-3 inches deep.  These bulbs are an excellent source of early spring color. They are a good underplanting for tulips and can be naturalized in the lawn.  They can bloom for about a month!

Anemone coronaria

Hollandia

These bulbs bloom for two to three weeks in late spring in zones 8 to 10, where they are winter-hardy. In colder zones 4-7, they must be planted in the spring for bloom throughout the summer.  These are fast-growing flowers, so a sequence of plantings will result in all-summer bloom.   The poppy-like flowers are red, blue, or white. The center of the flowers is most often black, and they can have as many as a hundred stamens.  The plant grows from a basal rosette and the individual flowers have stems 6-12 inches. Each bulb produces multiple stems.  They naturalize easily and do best in light shade in warmer zones. Plant 2-3 inches deep and about 6 inches apart.    They are an excellent cut flower. De Caen anemones are also a good choice for a butterfly garden.  The tubers can be lifted and dried in the fall to replant in spring for the colder zones.  The De Caen and poppy like anemones can be also be forced to bloom indoors during the winter.

Mr Fokker

Varieties for Spring Planting:

Anemone blanda ‘Blue Shades’ – blue
Anemone blanda ‘Mixed’ – pink, white, lilac and purple
Anemone blanda ‘White Splendour’ – white
Anemone coronaria ‘De Caen Hollandia’ – red
Anemone coronaria ‘De Caen Sylphide’ – hot pink
Anemone coronaria ‘De Caen MIX’ – white, blue, red
Anemone coronaria ‘St. Brigid’ – double flowered

Varieties for Fall Planting:

Anemone coronaria ‘Mr Fokker’ – purple
Anemone coronaria ‘De Caen Hollandia’ – red
Anemone coronaria ‘De Caen Sylphide’ – hot pink

Anemone coronaria ‘De Caen Bride’ -white
Anemone coronaria ‘De Caen Collection’ – white, red, pink, red