anemones – NANCY WITH THE LAUGHING FACE

Flower bulbs push the gardening year right up to the edge of winter and there’s nothing more uplifting than the first garden blooms! For me, one of the greatest joys of gardening is seeing those first spring bulbs breaking through the earth as if by magic.

If you enjoy an early spring bulb garden, you’ve probably thought how wonderful it would be to keep those beautiful blooms going from early spring to summer. Fortunately, with the extensive variety of flower bulbs available today, you can easily achieve a long spring season by planting early, middle, and late-blooming bulbs.

Anemones tucked at the feet of perennial Lady’s Mantle

While spring bulbs are in their glory, take a few minutes to evaluate your own garden and perhaps visit others for some flowery inspiration, then plan on ordering your bulbs early before they sell out. As you browse catalogs or websites, try to visualize what you’d like to see in your garden and choose a color palette that appeals to you. Next, pick your favorite early spring bloomers and extend their season’s beauty by using the early, middle, and late-flowering variety plan.

Later-blooming Daffodils with Anemone and Heuchera

For example, Daffodil bulbs can bloom as early as late February here in Northeast Massachusetts and bright yellow Rijnveld’s Early Sensation is one of the earliest. Snowdrops and crocus are also very early bloomers and would make good companions. Ice Follies, a classic early to mid-season bloomer, looks stunning with the smaller bulbs of Early Snow Glories (Chionodoxa forbesii), Hyacinth, and Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica). Thalia, a pristine white beauty, blooms next along with Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) and old-fashioned Bleeding Heart while late-season Pheasant’s Eye looks lovely with the stately globe alliums as well as early spring perennials.

Thalia with old-fashioned Bleeding Heart and Vinca

You can try this method with many spring bulbs including Tulips, Alliums, Hyacinths, Daffodils, and of course the earliest bloomers such as Snowdrops and Crocus. Something to keep in mind is that smaller flower bulbs make great supporting stars for their larger spring cousins!

Alliums make a bold exclamation point in the late spring garden

Seek inspiration and plan your bulb garden now, purchase and reserve bulbs early to get the best varieties, and plant this fall for a colorful and long-blooming display next spring!

If you’re looking for a plant that will take you easily from summer into fall, you may want to consider exploring anemones.

Bees love anemones (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Many years ago, at the local garden club plant sale, I purchased my first anemone. It was anemone “Robustissima” and, as the name implies, this once small and innocent-looking plant soon became a huge presence in my late summer garden. Indeed, left to its own devices, “Robustissima” can easily take over a garden bed, so I’ve learned to hack it back every spring in order to keep it in bounds. In spite of its vigorous nature and large size, growing over time to a height and width of 40 inches, the pink to mauve blooms have a most delicate appearance and blend especially well with my other late summer bloomers such as coneflowers and black-eyed Susans.

anemone 1 — Anemones play well with other late summer bloomers (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Planted in a spot underneath our family room window, my original “Robustissima” receives even moisture, morning sun and afternoon shade, perfect conditions for anemones. Serendipitously, as the plant sends up its tall flower stalks, the flowers can easily be seen from inside the house, a thrill I enjoy all through August and September. The long bloom period even lasts well into fall along with sedums and asters.

Tall anemone “Robustissima” can be seen from the window (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

There are many different types of anemones with a bloom range from early spring to fall. Also known as windflowers, because the long-stalked flowers sway in the breeze, they add care-free charm to any garden. My earliest blooming anemone, the Grecian windflower or anemone blanda, lights up the garden in spring. Anemone sylvestris or snowdrop windflower blooms here in May and tends to freely spread itself around; however, it’s far too lovely to ever be called a nuisance and volunteers are always welcome!

Windflowers and Lady's Mantle — In early spring, cheerful Grecian Windflowers brighten the garden edge (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Late summer and early fall bring their own spectacular anemone varieties in colors that range from pure white to purple. You may even recognize some by name. Reaching 36 inches tall, robust “Richard Ahrens” has soft pink flowers which begin blooming in July and continue through September. “Honorine Jobert” is a silky white-flowered heirloom dating back to the 1850s which also grows quite tall and blooms from mid-summer to fall. “September Charm” blooms into October and is a slightly shorter pretty-in-pink variety dating back to the early 1930s , while another late-bloomer, “Bressingham Glow,” has deeper rose-pink blooms.

AnemoneHJ-flowers2 wimastergardener.org — The lovely lady, “Honorine Jobert” (Photo courtesy wimastergardener.com)

Some facts about late-blooming anemones:

Anemones grow best in hardiness zones 4 to 8
They prefer afternoon shade but will tolerate full sun given adequate moisture
They are well suited to woodland and old-fashioned cottage gardens
Their colors complement other late-summer to fall bloomers
Most are vigorous and care-free
They make great companions for fall shrubs or other large plants such as hydrangeas, cimicifuga, goldenrod and ornamental grasses
Anemones attract pollinators
Deer and rabbit resistant, disease and pest resistant, salt tolerant

Anemone “Robustissima” in early August (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

For an in-depth look at fall-blooming anemones including specific plant variety characteristics, overall performance and bloom periods, click on the link below:

https://www.chicagobotanic.org/downloads/planteval_notes/no25_anemones.pdf

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Tag: anemones

Extending the Beauty of Spring Bulb Season

Exploring Anemones