Wood anemone: succeed in its planting

When to plant your wood anemones

Wood anemone rootstocks are best planted ideally in autumn, between September and November, and reasonably, until the end of February.

Where to plant your wood anemone rootstocks?

Wood anemone, as its name suggests, thrives in shade or partial shade, in a cool spot protected from direct afternoon sun. It prefers humus-bearing soils, such as good woodland soil or, if unavailable, pure compost. Homemade leaf compost is excellent, but you can also use a good compost from the store. It enjoys soils that remain slightly moist but do not retain excess water, which could cause its roots to rot.

The wood anemone thrives in moderately acidic to neutral soil. If your soil is particularly calcareous, mix garden soil with heather soil, following this ratio: 1/3 heather soil to 2/3 garden soil.

In its natural state, it can be found in Europe, in leafy forests where it carpets the ground with its lovely white flowers in spring. It is therefore an ideal plant for under trees.

In the garden, to ensure it establishes itself permanently, recreate this natural environment, rich in humus, by adding well-decomposed compost and mulching in autumn with dead leaves.

How to plant your anemones nemorosa?

Your anemones are packaged in a small pouch of moist turf. Keep them in their pouch until planting to prevent the rhizomes from drying out. If possible, plant quickly upon receipt.

If this is not possible, you can keep them cool in their original pouch for a few weeks if necessary. Do not let them dry out at room temperature in the house!

You can choose to plant them directly in the ground or prepare them in buckets.

1) Direct planting in the ground

We recommend direct planting in open ground; it is a simple, quick method well-suited to this easy-to-grow plant.

To plant your wood anemones directly in the garden:

• start by loosening the soil to a depth of a spade’s spade and then add any necessary amendments (compost, heather soil),
• place your “root sections” horizontally, at a depth of about 6 cm. Do not bury them too deep! If you are planting multiple rhizomes, space them 30 to 40 cm apart as they will develop, slowly but surely.
• Then water them, even in winter,
• Mark the planting location with a marker (label, small stake).

Planting wood anemone rhizomes in open ground.

2) Planting in a bucket

This technique is recommended if you are a beginner or if you are one of those slightly forgetful gardeners who easily confuse where they have planted their plants with weeds in spring (this happens to the most experienced too!). Started in buckets and then planted in the garden in spring, your anemones will be more familiar to you, and you are less likely to accidentally remove them. This planting method is also practical if you order your anemones nemorosa during a cold spell. It is another way to keep them waiting before their final planting.

To plant in buckets, it’s simple:

• choose a good potting soil, rich and moist,
• fill the bucket and place the root section at a depth of 6 cm,
• cover with potting soil and water,
• keep the substrate moist but not waterlogged until the first leaves appear,
• once well developed, plant them in the garden, in well-prepared soil, as for direct planting.

Caring for Wood Anemone

The wood anemone is a hardy plant, down to -15°C. Sturdy, it spreads a little more each year without requiring maintenance.

Some gardeners are surprised to see it disappear after flowering: this is perfectly normal, as it goes into dormancy for 9 months to reappear better the following spring.

The wild wood anemone and different varieties: A. nemorosa ‘Blue Eyes’, A. nemorosa robinsoniana, A. nemorosa ‘Westwell Pink’