Flower Encyclopedia: Anemone
The plant has about 120 species. It is found in north and south temperate zones. Anemones grow to a height of 20-30cm and are 5 cm deep.
Anemones are essential ingredients in the garden, adding height and clear colors in shades of purple, pink and white. You should grow them in cottage gardens and borders where they inject plenty of presence to fill the gaps left by perennials. The best flowering time for this plant is late winter until early or mid spring.
They can thrive in just about anything from chalk to heavy clay, although they prefer damp, limy loam. You should dig fertilizer into soil a week or longer before planting or apply to top of soil after planting and water in. The bulbs are very free flowering and so require generous amounts of fertilizer.
The plant is largely untroubled by pests and diseases, but look out for the leaf eelworm. These microscopic pests live and multiply inside the leaf, causing small sections between the veins to turn brown. They're rarely fatal, but removing badly infected leaves is presently the only control available.
The plant has great bulbs. It’s a low care and free flowering with each corm producing numerous cheerful flowers. It’s well worth planting in any garden for loads of carefree color. It is also great in vases.
Did you know?
· Three main species - A. hupehensis, A. vitifolium and A. tomentosa - actually come from China. These were erroneously called Japanese anemones after one particular form was first recorded near Nagasaki in 1695.
· The plant is spread by fibrous underground roots that send up new shoots from tiny buds. This makes them ideal for taking root cuttings in autumn and replanting the following autumn when the ground is moist, either after rain or a thorough watering.
