A diverse genus of spring and autumn perennials whose silken-petaled flowers from the windflower to the Japanese anemone bridge multiple garden seasons.
Where it grows
The genus Anemone spans hundreds of species. Wood anemone (A. nemorosa) carpets European deciduous woodlands in spring; poppy anemone (A. coronaria) flowers in red, blue, and white across Mediterranean fields; Japanese anemone (A. hupehensis) brings tall pink and white blooms to autumn borders in shaded gardens.
How to recognise it
Most species share deeply divided basal foliage, a wiry leafless flower stem, and a single bowl-shaped flower with six to twenty tepals (true petals are absent in this genus). A whorl of stem leaves often sits just below the bloom. A puffy mass of seeds with white plumes follows, in some species — the Greek name means “daughter of the wind.”
Garden & cultural uses
A. coronaria corms are the source of De Caen and Saint Brigid strain florists’ anemones, sold by the million as cut flowers in spring. Japanese anemones spread by underground runners and can become invasive in rich soil; wood anemones spread slowly and politely through deciduous shade.
In folklore
Greek myth gave the anemone two origins: from the tears of Aphrodite at the death of Adonis, and from the breath of the west wind Anemos, who lent the flower his name.
Find more flowers by letter
Anemone starts with A and ends with E. Browse other flowers along the same letter.
Flowers that contain a letter from "Anemone":