Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:54 pm
Wood anemones are a good choice if you want to plant some spring flowers in your garden. Here you can find out what you need to bear in mind when growing and caring for this anemone species.
Anemones are hard to miss on a spring walk in the woods: They cover the ground in dense white flower carpets. Similar to many bulbs, wood anemones sprout as early as spring before retreating back into the ground in early summer. The delicate white flowers show up from March to May. You can easily plant them in your own garden.
Planting anemone in the garden
If you want to see the first flowers in your natural garden early in the year, anemones are a good choice. When planting, you have a choice between young plants and the brownish root rhizomes.
- Planting root rhizomes: You plant root rhizomes in the fall. Before planting the root of the wood anemone in the soil, it is best to soak it overnight in a glass of water. The next day you can plant it in a hole about ten centimeters deep and cover it with soil and some compost. Do not forget to water!
- Young plants: The best time to plant anemone seedlings is in late summer or fall. They then have just dormancy and can develop strong roots in the time until spring.
Whether you decide to use root rhizomes or seedlings, there are some basic things you should keep in mind. These include:
- The right location: Wood anemones do best in a spot in partial shade or light shade, such as under a dense hedge.
- The right soil: Wood anemones require loose, nutrient-rich soil with plenty of humus. In addition, the soil must be well-drained and calcareous.
- Planting distance and plant neighbors: It is best to keep a distance of 20 centimeters between the individual plants. If you want to grow wood anemone near other plants, bellflowers, columbines, violets and meadowfoam are the best neighbors.
Caution. Wood anemone contains the toxins anemonin and protoanemonin, which can also be dangerous for cats, dogs, rabbits and many other pets.
Proper care for wood anemone
With wood anemone in the garden, you have little work: the low-maintenance plant needs little attention to thrive. However, you can still give it a little help.
- Watering: In the spring, you should water the anemone regularly to keep the soil a little moist at all times. Use rainwater, for example. If you have a garden pond, you can also use water from the pond for watering. Because it contains a lot of nutrients, you’ll save on fertilizer.
- Fertilizing: Once you have planted the anemone, you should not lift any additional humus under the soil. If you work the soil with a rake, you can damage the delicate roots of the early bloomer. It is better to pour some nettle manure over the plants to fertilize them.
- Diseases and pests: Because of its toxins, wood anemone is spared from most plant diseases and pests. Only the rust fungus and slugs can be dangerous to the plant. How to combat slugs in the garden, you can learn in our guide. You can strengthen the wood anemone against rust, for example, by boiling a broth of horsetail and applying it to the plants diluted with water.