Anemone care in autumn 

The name of the anemone flower is translated from Greek as “daughter of the wind.” Sometimes it is simply called an anemone. Perhaps this is due to the fact that with any fluctuation of the air, the petals begin to flutter, and the flower stalks sway.

Anemones will decorate any garden, they will be appropriate in flower beds, and some species look good solid plantings under trees. Not all novice flower growers know that there are about 150 species of this plant, many of which can be grown in the backyard. They have different housing and care requirements. Perhaps that is why the wonderful anemone flower is not so common in our garden. Planting in the fall in open ground is not suitable for all varieties. Let’s consider this question in detail.

Anemone variety

Before proceeding directly to planting and care, let’s take a closer look at the anemone. This flower belongs to the Ranunculaceae family and grows everywhere in the temperate latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Some species of anemone even live in Alaska and the Arctic. Hence the different requirements for growing conditions.

Flowers of different species bear little resemblance to each other. They can be modest as an anemone, bright and catchy, like a crown anemone. Among them there are crumbs 10 cm in size and giants about 1 m high. The color of the corollas is also striking in variety. There are species painted in pastel colors – white, blue, pink. Others amaze with bright colors – yellow, red, blue, green, purple.

Anemone species classification

Anemones are divided into groups according to the type of root system.

The first includes ephemeroids – flowers with jointed long rhizomes that have a very short growing season, growing in forests:

• Altai;
• Ural;
• smooth;
• buttercup;
• blue
• dubravnaya;
• udinskaya;
• Permian.

The second group is represented by tuberous anemones with single buds and a short growing season:

• Apennine;
• crowned;
• garden;
• Caucasian;
• tender;
• sparkling.

Anemones with umbellate inflorescences, short rhizomes, thick and straight, represent the following group, its vegetation is extended for the whole season:

• beam;
• long-haired.

Anemones blooming in autumn are distinguished by a separate group:

• felt;
• hybrid;
• Hubei;
• Japanese.

Anemones grow all season, which form root suckers:

• forest;
• forked.

Anemones living in natural conditions on the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin and North America:

• canadian;
• Drum mod;
• spherical;
• multiseps;
• multimedia;
• narcissus flower;
• oregano;
• parviflora;
• Richardson;
• tuberose.

All of the listed types of anemone tolerate winter well without serious shelter in the middle lane. It is enough to mulch the soil with humus, peat or foliage of fruit trees. The exception is the crown anemone, which is covered even in the south, in other regions it should be dug up and the nodules should be stored until spring.

Anemone planting time

When is the best time to plant anemones? This is by no means an idle question. Unlike most plants, which don’t care if they are planted in the fall or spring, anemone prefers to be planted from the beginning of the growing season until the first days of summer.

For those anemones whose roots represent bulbs, this is not a rule, but an immutable law. Their transplantation is possible only in spring or early summer. Ephemeroid anemones bloom very early, then their aerial part dries up and they hide underground. Even if these anemones do not reproduce by tubers, but by rhizomes, in the fall you simply will not find them, planting and care is carried out in a short growing season. The most beautiful of anemones, crowned, is generally kept in the ground until the aerial part dries, then it needs to be dug up.

The dates can be shifted only for the rhizome anemone growing all season. Landing in the fall, of course, is undesirable, but it is quite possible. The most undemanding can be called Japanese anemone. It can be transplanted without problems all year round, except for the flowering period and the hot summer months.

Place of planting

So, we found out when to plant anemones and that early-flowering or tuberous anemones should not be placed on the site in the fall. The next essential point in growing a flower is choosing the right place for it.

1. All rhizomatous ephemeroids are shade-loving. They should be planted under the canopy of trees or on the north-facing side of the site.
2. Most types of anemones can be grown in partial shade.
3. Only on the southern slopes are planting anemone crowned, Caucasian, tender, Apennine. In the middle lane, they simply do not have enough light.

Features of autumn planting anemones

Now let’s take a closer look at how to plant anemones in the fall.

Ground preparation for anemones

Anemone grows well on loose, light, moderately fertile soil. Only the forest anemone is able to bloom on poor sandy soils. Although the plant needs abundant watering, stagnant water at the roots is unacceptable. If you are planting an anemone on a slope, this will not be a problem, otherwise choose the site carefully. Arrange drainage if necessary.

Before planting anemones, dig the soil well, remove pebbles and weed roots. Apply organic fertilizer if necessary. Acidic soil is not suitable for planting anemones. In order to correct the situation, add ash or dolomite flour for digging.

Preparing anemones for planting

It is best to plant freshly dug anemones in the fall. This is easy to do when moving home grown anemones to another location. But if you purchased planting material at a garden center or market, it is better to soak the roots for several hours in epin, root or heteroauxin – this will significantly increase survival.

Anemone planting

For planting anemones, choose a warm October day well before frost. The plant must have time to adapt to a new place. But still, do not expect that all anemones will survive the winter well, after all, autumn is not the best time to plant them in the ground.

The distance between the anemones depends on the size. Position them freely. Flowers growing in groups, for example, forest anemones themselves form clumps over time. Handle fragile roots with care. If you are going to dig up an anemone in your own area before planting, try to move the plant to a new place along with a clod of earth. This will significantly increase the chance of anemone to survive the winter well and bloom next year.

Dig a shallow hole – the rhizome is buried by about 5 cm. If there is little humus and you did not bring it in for digging, you can pour a handful directly into the hole and mix well with the ground. Be sure to water the anemone thoroughly.

Anemone care after planting

Anemone care after planting consists in mulching the soil with peat or humus. If the autumn is warm, there is no rain, the soil should not be allowed to dry out. But it is also unacceptable to flood the planting – there is a danger that the rhizome will rot.

In order to be able to check if the anemone needs watering, moisten the entire soil in the garden, and not just the hole. Then it will be enough for you to dig a hole 10 cm deep next to the planted plants, take a handful of earth and squeeze it in your fist.

• If, when you open your palm, it is only slightly damp, and the soil is collected in a loose lump, there is enough moisture.
• Dry hand, the soil immediately crumbled – watering is needed.
• When squeezing a clod of earth, moisture oozes through your fingers – excess moisture.

Sowing Anemone Seeds

Can anemone seeds be sown in autumn? Do they rise well? Often even experienced flower growers fail to grow anemone from seeds. In nature, the plant is most often bred vegetatively. Only some ephemeroids and the forest anemone reproduce by self-seeding.

Even freshly harvested anemone seeds sprout disgustingly, no more than 25%. But they still need to be grown to landing on a permanent place, and this is also not an easy task. The greatest germination is given by late autumn crops.

Fill wooden boxes with loose soil and dig them in a quiet place. Sow the windmill. For the winter, cover with spruce branches or cover with foliage. So the seeds will undergo stratification in natural conditions, and it will be easier to care for hardened seedlings.

Preparing anemones for winter

Planting and caring for anemones in southern areas is always easier than where winters are harsh. It is enough to cover adult plants with a thin layer of leaves, peat or mullein. But during the autumn planting, such a shelter is suitable only for the south. In the middle lane, for warming the anemone that did not have time to take root well, spruce branches, straw, and another mulch with a layer of at least 10 cm are used.

Conclusion

Try to plant anemones in the spring or early summer, but if you can’t, follow our recommendations. Anemone is a beautiful flower worth the effort spent on planting and care.