Anemone nemorosa Robinsoniana

Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana' is a wood anemone prized for its very soft lavender-blue flowers, with greyish cream undersides. This variety spreads by means of its rhizomes and gradually forms a lovely flowering carpet in spring in woodland and slightly shaded areas of the garden. Its growth follows the rhythm of deciduous trees: it benefits from the light before their foliage unfolds, then dies back in summer. Its qualities in the garden earned it the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 1993.

The wood anemone, also known as wood anemone, belongs to the buttercup family. The type species Anemone nemorosa is native to much of Europe, particularly France, and its natural range extends as far as the western Caucasus. It is a woodland plant of deciduous trees, also found in hedgerows and some meadows. 'Robinsoniana' is a horticultural selection named in honour of the gardener and author William Robinson. This small perennial has slender rhizomes that grow horizontally beneath the soil surface. Each year, they produce new leaves and flowering stems, allowing the colony to spread. The plant reaches 15 to 20 cm in height when in flower and spreads over the years. It may take a little patience to become established. The green, deeply divided foliage accompanies the flowers before turning yellow and dying back in summer. This dormancy is natural: the rhizomes remain alive in the soil until the following spring. Flowering takes place from March to May, earlier in mild regions and later in colder regions. Each flowering stem bears a solitary flower 3 to 4 cm in diameter, but an established colony produces many of them. The pale lavender-blue tepals spread around a cluster of yellow stamens; their greyish cream undersides give the buds a more subdued colour. This anemone is hardy down to −20 °C, in well-drained soil.

Wood anemone 'Robinsoniana' is particularly charming in naturalistic gardens, open woodland and partially shaded borders. It forms a seasonal groundcover: the carpet disappears in summer, making way for plants whose foliage develops later. It pairs well with primroses (Primula vulgaris), lungworts, ferns such as common polypody (Polypodium vulgare) and pink ivy-leaved cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium). This variety naturalises in the humus that forms beneath large deciduous trees, including over limestone subsoil.