When colorful carpets of flowers sway gently in the wind, the anemone spreads its delicate magic. To ensure that the delicate flower thrives along mighty hedges or at the base of deciduous trees, the planting and care effort is kept within a manageable range. Unanswered questions will receive an answer here.
How do I care for anemones properly?
In order to successfully care for anemones, also known as anemones, you should pay attention to a sunny to partially shaded location, nutrient-rich and humus-rich soil, water when it is dry, fertilize liquidly every 14 days and remove any wilted plants.
Planting anemone correctly
The anemone easily lives up to its title as “perennial of the year” if you plant the flower in March/April or August/September in the following way:
- Soak the tuber in water for 12-24 hours
- Dig small pits 6-10 cm deep, with a distance between 10 and 25 cm
- Insert the rhizome in the middle, press the soil with your hands and water it
Pay attention to the polarity of the tuber when planting. The shoot tips must be directed upwards and may only be thinly covered with substrate. A thin layer of mulch supports the rooting process.
Care tips
The minimal care program for anemones is limited to the following aspects:
- Water when it is dry without watering the flowers and leaves
- From March until the end of the flowering period, fertilize liquidly every 14 days
- Mulching with compost, grass clippings or nettle leaves
- Cleaning up wilted and faded things
- Only cut back when all the leaves have been pulled in
The anemone thrives in all its spring-fresh splendor where it has peace and quiet. Therefore, avoid frequent raking and other disturbances.read more
Which location is suitable?
Since even a mild breeze can cause the flower to tremble, the choice of location requires special consideration in terms of wind exposure. The anemone thrives easily in these locations:
- Sunny to partially shaded location
- In sufficiently moist soil, even in a sunny spot
- Wind-protected location, preferably under deciduous trees and along hedges
Avoid the proximity of anemones to plum trees and other Prunus plants, as both plant genera can harbor a common fungal pathogen that happily switches from one to the other.read more
The correct planting distance
For the delicate bush anemone, we recommend a planting distance of 10-15 cm. If the flower functions as a flowering ground cover, plant 25 plants per square meter. If you prefer the wood anemone, which grows up to 40 cm high, the distance to the neighboring plant is 25 cm, or 16 specimens per square meter.
What soil does the plant need?
If you come across anemones in the wild, they thrive in the airy, loose forest floor. The better the soil in the garden can match this natural soil quality, the more at home the flower will feel. The substrate should be like this:
- Nutritional and humic
- Loose, with unobstructed water drainage
- Fresh and moist, without the risk of waterlogging
What is the best time to plant?
Anemones are planted twice a year. You can either plant the tubers in the ground in March/April or August/September. Planting in sun-warmed soil in late summer proves to be beneficial for rapid root formation. The flower is well established when winter knocks on the garden gate.read more
When is flowering time?
The flower owes its crowning glory to the “Perennial of the Year” not least to its wide variety of varieties with flowering times throughout the entire garden season. Carefully combined, the filigree flowers continually decorate the bed and the pot. The following arrangement may serve as a source of ideas:
- Balkan anemone “White Splendor”: flowering period from February to March/April
- Yellow anemone: flowering period from March to April/May
- Wood anemone “Elise Fellmann”: flowering period from May to June/July
- Autumn anemone “Prinz Heinrich”: flowering period from July to September
read more
Cut anemone correctly
It makes sense to cut the flower on various occasions. Once they have bloomed, cut the stems close to the ground as decorative vase decorations. Cutting off spent flower heads extends the flowering time by weeks. Experienced hobby gardeners only completely cut back the fallen leaves late in the year so that the tuber can store all remaining nutrients as an energy reserve.read more
Watering anemone
Water the flower regularly as soon as the soil dries out. This may also be necessary under a canopy of leaves after a downpour. If you cultivate anemones in a pot or balcony box, the daily thumb test in the morning will reveal whether there is a need for watering.
Fertilize anemone properly
Since spring-flowering anemones spread their roots just below the surface of the soil, the use of liquid fertilizer is beneficial both in the bed and in the container. How to do it right:
- In the bed from March until the end of the flowering period, fertilize every 2 weeks with nettle or comfrey manure
- Alternatively, spread and rain fertilizer granules according to the dosage instructions
- Provide the flower in the planter on the balcony with commercially available liquid fertilizer
Ideally, mulch with a thin layer of compost, grass clippings or nettle leaves. Avoid incorporating fertilizers into the soil to avoid damaging the delicate roots.
Diseases
There are primarily two common fungal infections that can cause problems for an anemone. Both sooty mold and anemone rust manifest themselves in the form of brownish-black leaf spots, as a result of which photosynthesis comes to a standstill and the plant dies.
The cause of sooty mold are aphids, and controlling them keeps the disease at bay. Anemone rust is a pathogen that alternates between stone fruit plants and anemones. Therefore, avoid placing anemones near plum and plum trees.
Pests
The aphids that are omnipresent in the garden do not stop at anemones. At the first signs, take strong action against the pests by treating the flower with the classic soap solution. To do this, mix 1 tablespoon of pure soap and spirit in 1 liter of water, fill it into a spray bottle and apply.
Wintering
Anemones have a stable winter hardiness, without which they would not be able to develop their early blooms. In harsh locations, the flower is grateful for a protective layer of leaves and brushwood from the first frost. The following measures are advisable in the planter every year:
- Wrap the pot or planter thickly with foil or jute
- Place the container on Styrofoam or wood in front of the south wall of the house
- Cover the substrate with leaves, straw, brushwood or wood wool
read more
Propagate anemone
The multifaceted plant genus offers several methods to choose from for the propagation of anemones:
- Dividing the roots in spring or autumn
- Cut cuttings during flowering, plant in small pots and let them root
- Cut off root runners and place in lean substrate
- Sowing the seeds after stratifying the cold germinators
The first three propagation techniques work easily in the hobby garden. Sowing, on the other hand, extends over a cultivation period of 12-14 months until the first flowering can be expected.
How do I transplant correctly?
Transplanting anemones is not just a change of location, but also offers the perfect opportunity to rejuvenate the perennial. Follow these steps:
- A wisely chosen date is a day in early spring
- Use the digging fork to loosen the tuber and roots
- Push the spade under the plant to lift it out of the ground
- Cut the root ball into two or more segments
- A section has at least 2 buds
In the new location, plant the anemones as deep as before and water with a good sip of water.
Anemone in a pot
The anemone is not a typical flower for pot cultivation, but you are still welcome to try the experiment. Use compost-based potting soil as a substrate. Place some pottery shards on the bottom of the pot as drainage before filling in the soil. When it comes to planting depth, make sure that it largely corresponds to the previous value. How to properly care for the anemone in the pot:
- Water regularly when the top centimeters of the substrate feel dry
- From March until the end of the flowering period, fertilize liquidly every 14 days
- Cleaning up wilted flower heads
At the end of flowering, it is beneficial to leave the foliage on the plant until it has completely withered. Until the next season, place the pot in a partially shaded, frost-free place and make sure that the tuber does not dry out completely. In early spring, repot the anemone into fresh substrate.read more
Is anemone poisonous?
The extensive genus of anemones is one of the buttercup plants. There is therefore a botanical relationship with highly poisonous plants such as monkshood or hellebore. Although anemones have lower levels of toxicity, they should not be grown in gardens where children and pets are present. The temptation to pick the flower and nibble on it is too great.read more
Anemone doesn't bloom
If an anemone planted the previous year simply doesn't bloom, put the site conditions to the test. The flower prefers sunny to partially shaded lighting conditions. If it is too dark, the flowers will not bloom. On the other hand, if an older perennial develops a lot of leaf mass without producing a flower, it suffers from excess nitrogen. Switch to organic fertilization or specifically administer a phosphate-based preparation.
Brown leaves
With brown leaves, the anemone communicates its displeasure at neglected care. Examine the environment for the following triggers:
- Drought stress: water regularly, directly to the roots
- Waterlogging: repot or transplant into dry substrate
- Anemone rust: moving away from the reach of stone fruit trees
- Sooty mold: control of aphids, treatment with an approved fungicide
Yellow leaves
Yellow leaves on anemones indicate leaf chlorosis. Jaundice is caused by a lack of iron in the substrate. This undersupply occurs when calcium levels skyrocket and block the important nutrient. Waterlogging and cold, wet weather also cause damage. Check the pH value and fertilize with a special iron fertilizer from a specialist retailer if the value is significantly above 7.
The most beautiful varieties
- Bracteata Pleniflora: pretty bush anemone with white, green-edged semi-double flowers; Growth height 15 cm
- Robinsoniana: lavender-blue spring beauty with a delicate habit; Growth height 10-20 cm
- Alba plena: fantastically beautiful anemone with pure white, bulging flowers in April and May; Growth height 20-45 cm
- Wood Anemone: the robust native anemone with a long flowering period from May to July/August; Growth height 15 cm
- Leipzig bush anemone: impresses with creamy yellow flowers from March; Growth height 10-20 cm
- Charmer: magnificent Balkan anemone with pink-red ray flowers from February/March; Growth height 10-15 cm
