Growing Anemones

The word anemone is Greek for "wind flower," and when you plant these flowers in your garden, you will notice that the wind helps to open the petals and eventually blows away dead flowers as the plant goes dormant. The flowers resemble small cups, and come in a variety of colors, including white, purple and red. Gardeners propagate anemones by planting tubers or bulbs in the spring or summer to produce early autumn blooms.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Soil tiller
• Organic amendment
• Pruning shears

1. Soak anemone bulbs or tubers in warm water for four hours. This softens the bulbs and encourages them to sprout quickly.

2. Till the soil in a sunny area of your garden to a depth of 8 to 10 inches. The area in which you will plant your anemone bulbs should receive at least six hours of sunlight each day. If your soil does not drain quickly (within five hours of a hard rain storm) add 2 to 3 inches of peat moss or compost to increase drainage. Till these amendments into the soil as you work.

3. Plant your anemone bulbs 1 to 2 inches below the soil surface. Lay them flat on their sides; the bulbs will grow toward the surface regardless of which direction they are facing. Space anemones at least 4 inches apart for optimal growth.

4. Water the newly planted bulbs well until the soil is completely soaked. Going forward, water the anemones whenever the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.

5. Remove dead foliage in the late fall or early winter, when the leaves turn yellow and die off. This is the start of the dormant period; the flowers will rest until the next growth period.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also plant anemones in pots or urns. Follow the same planting and watering rules, but make sure you choose pots that feature drainage holes to allow excess water to run out.

• With a late spring or early summer planting, foliage should appear by fall, with colorful flowers sprouting in the following spring.