Do you want your garden to have consistent color and life? Anemone flowers could be a good option for you. They are aesthetically pleasing and don’t require a lot of work to maintain.
Anemones can add beauty to your home garden with their eye-catching blooms that appear early in the season.
After planting for just three months, these soft, daisy-like flowers that are shaped like cups will bloom and continue to thrive throughout spring or fall.
So, if you are looking for a flower that will impart colors to your garden at both season ends, anemone flower might be the ideal pick.
In Europe, North America, and Japan, anemone flowers come in many different shapes and sizes.
Anemone flowers are some of the most productive bloomers and come in many different colors like white, red, pink, purple, and yellow.
It is no surprise that they are a favorite of florists and brides.
Our anemone flowers guide covers everything you need to know about growing and taking care of beautiful and healthy anemone flowers. You’ll learn how to plant and care for your anemone flowers, as well as how to enjoy their beauty.
Ready when you are!
The Meaning of Anemone Flowers
The Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, and the mortal Adonis were lovers. These flowers are seen as a symbol of their love.
The flowers are said to have come from the tears of Aphrodite when she was crying over the death of her lover Adonis.
The meaning of the flower can be seen as a representation of forgotten love and affection, as well as excitement and anticipation.
Fact: In Greek, “anemone” means windflower.
It is believed that this flower also brings good luck and protects against evil.
The legend also says that when anemone flowers close their petals, it is a sign of the approach of rain.
Anemone Flower Varieties
Anemone flowers can add a splash of color to your backyard or flower garden.
The anemone flower comes in many different colors and varieties. Some of the most beautiful anemone flowers include the pink anemone, the blue anemone, and the white anemone.
Anemone Blanda
The Balkan Anemone, which is also known by its scientific name Anemone Blanda, is a plant that produces small yellow flowers that look like daisies. The flowers can be either pink, blue, or white, or a mixture of all three colors. The plant has thin, wiry stems and fern-like leaves.
This plant does well in the outdoors and can survive in very cold climates.
This variety of flower looks great when mixed with tulips and hyacinths.
Anemone Coronaria
Anemone Coronaria, also known as Poppy Anemone or Windflower, is a beautiful species with poppy-like flowers. It comes in a variety of colors including red, white, pink, and blue-red.
Butterfly flowers that are easy to grow will make your garden more attractive to butterflies.
The wide, colourful petals of these anemone flowers make them very attractive, which also means they are popular in bouquets.
The Anemone Coronaria is Hardy to zones 8 to 10 and blooms midsummer to late fall.
These anemone flowers typically grow to a height of 10-16 inches and a width of 6-9 inches.
Anemone “Mr. Fokker”
The Anemone “Mr. Fokker” is a dark blue flower with a dark center that is perfect for adding a touch of elegance to your garden if you love the color blue.
To get the best results with these flowers, grow them in a warm and dry spot as a hardy perennial outdoors.
It is best to plant these shrubs in the fall and early spring if you want them to bloom in the spring and late spring respectively. These shrubs can grow taller than other varieties.
Anemone “Japonica”
Who doesn’t want beautiful, light-colored flowers in their backyard? Anemone Japonica grows to a height of 4 feet and is very beautiful and peaceful. Its creamy pink blooms are elegantly beautiful.
To get the best results with these anemone flowers, plant them in large groups or along borders. They thrive in moist, fertile soil with partial shade or full sunlight.
Anemone “Sylvestris”
The “Sylvestris” variety of anemone is a white flower that blooms in late spring and early summer. It has dense, green foliage.
You can grow this plant in containers and cold frames, but you have to protect it from snowmelt and heavy rain.
This type of flower reaches a height of 12-18 inches, does best in deciduous shade, and requires light soil to grow healthy. They are a good choice for flowers in the front border because they don’t get too tall.
Anemone “Honorine Jobert”
This Anemone variety produces vibrant pure white flowers with a cluster of yellow stamens in the center, set atop tall wiry stems above dark green foliage.
If you want to create a more sophisticated look for your garden by adding borders for late summer and fall, this variety may be what you’re looking for.
The flowers swaying in the wind will bring a sense of tranquility to your home.
Anemone “Hadspen Abundance”
Anemone “Hadspen Abundance” is perfect for late summer and fall, when other flowers have wilted, and can brighten your garden.
These flowers can grow well in cool temperatures and will continue to flower until the first frost of the fall season. They require minimal maintenance and will spread easily on their own – making them a great choice for beginner gardeners!
Anemone “Quinquefolia”
It is a member of the buttercup family. Anemone quinquefolia goes by another name, “wood anemone.” This flower typically blooms in the spring and then goes dormant during the summer. It’s a member of the buttercup family.
Growing up to a maximum height of 4-6 inches, these flowers which resemble daisies are deep white, purple-blue, or pink in color.
This type of plant does well in soil that is rich in organic matter and drains well. It prefers moderate moisture levels.
Anemone “Serenade”
Anemone “Serenade” is a pretty, slow-growing plant that can add color to your garden from summer to fall. It can grow up to two feet tall and has pink daisy-like flowers on wiry stems.
Try to plant these flowers in an area where they will have access to a lot of moisture to help them grow. They can spread out and cover a large area if they have enough room.
Anemone “Praecox”
Anemone praecox is a single-flowered, dark pink perennial that blooms in the early fall. It spreads by producing shoots (suckers) that take root nearby.
The petals of this flower are creamy pink in color and have green-yellow centers. This flower can grow to be 30 inches tall.
This plant is easy to grow and does well in most locations, making it a good choice for beginner gardeners.
How to Pre-Sprout Anemone Flowers
Make sure you soak your corms for several hours in a full bucket of cool water before planting them. This will help them to hydrate and plump up. Keep the water dripping and overflowing so that oxygen is constantly being added.
To achieve the best results, pack the corms in damp vermiculite and store them at a temperature of around 35 degrees Fahrenheit for several weeks (up to a month), checking them periodically. When roots at least ¼” long emerge, as shown in the photo below, they are ready to be planted. Discard any corms that are diseased or moldy.
An alternative to transplanting anemone bulbs is to pot them into small pots or cell packs, and then let them sprout in sunlight.
It is not a good idea to plant pre-sprouted anemone flowers and ranunculuses during dry weather because they may not get enough moisture and might not grow.
Planting and Growing Anemone Flowers
Anemone flowers should be planted in warmer climates during the fall (usually October and November). Another batch should be planted in December and/or early January.
Planting in northern climates should be done in mid to late winter. Water the plants heavily when first planting or before a very heavy rain.
ANEMONE WATERING TIPS
Anemones will not grow well if they don’t have a consistent water supply, but overwatering or having wet feet will also damage them. As a result, do not plant them in a low-lying spot with poor drainage.
FERTILIZING ANEMONE FLOWERS
You can use the same organic garden fertilizer on orchids as you use on other flowers and vegetables. Fertilize the orchids once or twice during the growing season. If you are a farmer, your corm supplier should provide you with detailed fertilizer recommendations.
SETUP AND WEED-CONTROL NOTES FOR GROWING ANEMONES
The ideal spacing for anemones is 9 inches apart, whether you’re planting them in pots or raised beds. I like to space mine out a little more, putting them 12 inches apart in between rows and 9 inches apart within each row. I think four rows per bed is the perfect width.
Anemones can tolerate being removed from the ground in a variety of ways, including with landscape fabric or plastic, leaf mulch, or by hand.
Harvesting Anemone Flowers for Cut Flower Work
Pick anemone flowers when the bloom is about ¼” above the small leaf on the stem below it for the longest vase life.
The earlier you harvest the blooms, the smaller they will be, but they will last longer. If you wait to harvest them, they will be larger, but won’t last as long.
The stems of the plant will be very short at the beginning of the season, but will grow to 12-18 inches if you keep harvesting them.
Harvesting Tool Sanitation
You should always practice good sanitation habits to make your flowers last longer. This means sanitizing your clippers or shears, using clean water, and changing the water of your held blooms every other day. You should also give the held stems a fresh cut. By following these guidelines, your flowers should last at least a week.
Weather and Harvesting Plans
If it is going to be rainy and/or cold, the petals will get splotches and browning, so it is better to harvest the anemones before the storm or cold night.
Cut Flower Storage for Anemone Blooms
If you want the flowers to last, store them upright so the stems don’t bend. You can keep the blooms in a cold floral cooler for a few days without affecting the vase life.
HARVEST SEASON FOR ANEMONE FLOWERS
Anemones can be harvested in winter and early spring in the Southern United States, and in spring in Northern United States climates.
My plants begin to bloom in late February in North Carolina (Zone 7B/8A), and even earlier if the winter is mild.
Some plants can start blooming earlier than usual in unheated high tunnels, low tunnels, or in a heated greenhouse.
In zone 7b/8a, field-grown anemones can often bloom from mid-late February to late April, depending on how warm or cold the winter and spring temperatures are.
A Note on Low Growing Tunnels:
I mostly grow crops in fields and have only tried growing crops in low tunnels, which are short, unheated greenhouses that protect plants from the coldest temperatures.
I come from a family that owns and operates a 120-year-old hardware store in historic downtown Matthews, North Carolina. The main part of our business is gardening, so I prioritize being at our store most days in late winter and spring.
I don’t use tunnels with greenhouse plastic when I’m not on the farm full-time because I can’t keep them ventilated on days when it’s hot and sunny.
Anemones do not thrive in hot weather; if the temperature in a closed plastic structure gets too high, they will suffer without proper ventilation.
I recommend growing anemones with no more protection than an occasional row cover blanket during cold snaps below around 28–30 degrees if you are a casual backyard gardener or very new grower in a warm climate like mine. I love them because they are low-maintenance and more forgiving of occasional neglect than many other flowers!
Anemones are low-maintenance and more forgiving of occasional neglect than many other flowers.
Saving Anemone Bulbs (AKA Anemone Corms)
At the end of the season, I just let my flowers bloom for a few days, even though it means I won’t be able to harvest anything. This is because corms become dormant when the temperature rises above 70 degrees, and I want to wait until that process is finished.
I perform this action to ensure that as I excavate the corms, I can be absolutely positive about the hue of each one, and sort out any that were jumbled during planting or that arrived with incorrect labels.
After letting the anemone corms dry out for a few days in the heat, I cut off all the foliage, bagged them up in mesh bags by color/variety, and stored them in a well-ventilated corner of our air-conditioned design studio workshop.
Check your corms periodically so that if you notice any mold or disease, you can toss infected corms before they affect others.
You should check your corms regularly to see if there is any mold or disease. If you find any, you should throw away the infected corms to prevent the disease from spreading. You can then start the growing season again by pre-sprouting the corms in September/October.
To make anemones into perennials, do not uproot them and allow the weeds to take over the area. The anemones will start to grow again in the fall. The leaves will look like curly parsley.
I hope this information has given you the confidence to add this beautiful flower to your garden next season!
