Wood anemone, Anemone nemorosa – care and profile

Since this attractive wild perennial is an early bloomer, the radiant white and star-shaped flowers appear between March and April/May, depending on the weather, whereby the wood anemone usually develops only one flower per plant, very rarely two. Accordingly, this plant only really comes into its own in larger groups.

The wood anemone, which is actually a forest plant, is available in the form of young plants in garden centers. In the garden, the wood anemone is particularly suitable as an underplanting for shrubs and for planting in front of and between shrubs or perennials that only sprout later. This plant feels particularly comfortable between deciduous shrubs and under fruit trees.

The best planting time for the wood anemone is autumn. Before planting, it is advisable to water the rootstock of the plant thoroughly, preferably overnight, as this will make it easier for the plant to take root. After the soil has been loosened up well and weeds have been removed, the wood anemone can be planted about 4-6 cm deep in the soil and watered. About 12-25 plants are planted per square meter.

location and soil

• The wood anemone loves a slightly shady location.
• Different light conditions are beneficial for this plant.
• About two hours of sun per day is optimal.
• The ideal soil is water-permeable, fresh, humic, nutritious and slightly moist.
• It should be neutral to slightly acidic with a pH between 6.5 and 7.5.
• Strongly acidic soils are unsuitable for the wood anemone.
• These can be improved accordingly by adding lime.

watering and fertilizing

The soil of the wood anemone should never dry out completely, but should also not be waterlogged. Uniform moisture should be ensured. This can be achieved by regular watering. It should be watered from February/March until the plants wither, but not in full sunlight, better in the early morning hours or in the evening.

To form humus, you can spread a layer of leaves on the bed in question in autumn and fertilize with ripe compost in spring before the start of buoyancy. If compost is not available, a long-term perennial fertilizer can also be applied in spring to promote growth and flowering. Both organic and mineral fertilizers are suitable.

pruning and overwintering

• A cut is not necessary for the wood anemone.
• The above-ground parts of the plant are only present in spring.
• In early summer, the plant pulls in its leaves.
• Ideally, the plant should simply be left standing for the winter.
• The rhizome or shoots of the wood anemone overwinter in the ground.
• The plants will sprout again in early spring.

multiply

division

As a rule, the wood anemone spreads on its own, either through self-seeding or its underground rhizomes. But it can also be divided by hand. The best time to divide is in spring, preferably before the plant loses its foliage. To do this, the plants are dug up, carefully divided and the new plants obtained in this way are planted out in their final location. As a rule, however, it is better not to divide the plants, as this allows them to develop better. The longer they remain undisturbed in one place, the more beautiful they become.

Rhizomschnittlinge

The rhizome of the wood anemone is a subterranean stem system. This form of propagation is similar to that of root cuttings and can be made in autumn. To do this, the plant is carefully dug up. Then healthy parts of the rhizome are cut off. It is important that each of these cuttings has at least one eye. The mother plant should then be replanted immediately. The cuttings are planted horizontally in the appropriate substrate and covered with substrate about 2 cm thick.

Diseases

Anemone cup

The anemone beaker often lives as a parasite on various anemone species, including the wood anemone. The filamentous cells of this fungus, which reach up to 5 cm into the ground, are attached to the roots of the wood anemone and can withstand both cold and drought. This fungus usually occurs on patchy stands of wood anemone in moist deciduous forests and rarely in gardens.

pests

Sometimes the wood anemone is also very popular with snails, which can then cause relatively great damage to the plants. The first signs of this are corresponding feeding marks on the leaves. In order to keep the damage as low as possible, the snails should be read regularly. Special slug pellets from specialist shops, which you spread around the plants, are also helpful.

In the meantime, biological slug pellets with the active ingredient iron-III-phosphate (ferramol) are also available, which is not dangerous for other garden dwellers such as hedgehogs or slow worms, but also for pets. Snail traps, which you can easily make yourself, can also be very effective.

toxicity

While wood anemone is an important food source for insects, they are toxic to other animals such as dogs, cats, horses and rodents, as well as humans when fresh, all parts of the plant. However, during drying, this poison converts into non-toxic substances and is therefore non-toxic when dried.

The toxicity is mainly based on the main active ingredient, the so-called protoanemonin, but also other known and unknown toxins. Protoanemonin is a toxin found in all buttercup plants. It primarily irritates the mucous membranes and the skin and can, among other things, lead to the formation of blisters and cause reddening. If the poison enters the body, it can damage the kidneys and digestive organs, as well as causing disorders of the nervous system.

particularities

With its flowering period beginning in March, the wood anemone is one of the first heralds of spring. In native forests it covers large areas in spring. In gardens it feels quite comfortable as a ground cover under trees and shrubs. From the beginning of flowering until late spring, this plant tirelessly produces new flowers.

As a rule, a single flower per plant is normal. Rarely, however, it can also happen that a plant develops two flowers. These emerge from between the leaves and are usually white with a yellow base. Depending on the variety, they can also be pink, purple or blue. If the wood anemone is undisturbed, it also multiplies relatively quickly in the garden. At night or when it rains, the flowers close and the flower heads tilt down towards the ground.

Depending on the number of fertilized carpels, the wood anemone develops about 20 small, single-seeded, so-called follicles. These yellowish fruits are round, covered with a short, bristly and dense coat of hair and look like small nuts.

The above-ground parts of the plant should not be cut off, not even in winter, otherwise it could happen that the wood anemone does not sprout again at all. It thrives best when not disturbed. Any form of tillage should also be avoided.

In early summer, the plant draws back its leaves, so that nothing more can be seen of it until the following spring. The rhizomes, which are up to 30 cm long, overwinter undamaged in the ground. New shoots will sprout from them in early spring. If the wood anemone spreads too much, you can easily trim it or cut it off accordingly.

Popular Varieties

• Anemone nemorosa ‘Alba Plena’ – The ‘Alba Plena’ variety is a garden anemone with white double cupped flowers that appear between March and May. The outer petals of these fully double flowers are star-shaped. The plant grows up to 15 cm high. 25 individual plants are recommended per square meter with a planting distance of 20 cm.
• Anemone nemorosa ‘Robinsoniana’ – This garden anemone produces large, cup-shaped, flat flowers that shine in a noble lavender blue between March and May. The petioles of this charming spring anemone stand out with a striking dark brown. The growth height is about 15 cm. 25 plants of this variety are also expected for an area of ​​one square meter. In locations that are too sunny, the beautiful blue coloring can be less intense.
• ‘Anemone nemorosa ‘Vestal’ – This particularly attractive variety impresses with filled and very distinctive, bright white flowers, whose inner flower flakes are arranged like roof tiles on top of each other. The flowering period begins relatively late in April.
• Anemone nemorosa ‘Grandiflora’ – The ‘Grandiflora’ variety is a large-flowered wood anemone with white flowers and a flowering period from March to May. It reaches growth heights between 15 and 20 cm.
• Anemone nemorosa ‘Royal Blue’ – The flower colors of this impressive garden anemone are an intense blue tint. The flowering period lasts from April to May and the plants can grow to a height of up to 20 cm. Snowdrops, woodruff or the milk star are considered good neighbors for this plant.
• Anemone nemorosa ‘Caerulea’ – This wood anemone produces single flowers that are light blue or lavender blue in colour. These appear from March to May. The growth height is between 15 and 20 cm.
• Anemone nemorosa ‘Hilda’ – The wood anemone ‘Hilda’ produces particularly beautiful semi-double, snow-white flowers from April to May. It is also a very floriferous variety whose flowers have a particularly large number of outer petals. The growth height is relatively low at 10 cm.

Conclusion
Under optimal conditions, the wood anemone forms dense, ground-covering carpets of flowers over time. These are relatively robust and can quickly fill and beautify bare spots under trees and shrubs. Once the wood anemone has been planted, it is best to leave it to its own devices and only water it if necessary or provide it with fresh compost.