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Graceful anemones, or simply anemones, whose name is translated as “daughter of the wind,” can decorate the garden from early spring to autumn. Not because of repeated flowering, but because of the variety of forms. The genus Anemone belongs to the Ranunculaceae family and consists of 150 species. Anemones grow throughout the Northern Hemisphere, in temperate climates. Their range extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the Arctic.
It is clear that with such a variety of habitats in natural conditions, different species of anemone have different requirements for cultivation and placement. And in appearance they bear little resemblance to each other. For example, the modest graceful forest anemone, about 10-15 cm tall, is very different from the exquisite one and a half meter Hubei anemone. The most beautiful and capricious is considered to be the most difficult to grow crown. She has many cultivated varieties and hybrids, the number of which is growing every year. Of course, the question arises of how anemones behave in winter. After all, their growing area is large, and their maintenance during the cold season cannot be the same.
Is it necessary to dig up anemone in the fall? According to winter hardiness, anemones are divided into those that are able to survive the cold season in the open ground, and those that require storage indoors with a positive temperature.
Rhizome anemones
In the conditions of Central Russia, rhizomatous anemone is covered with a layer of peat or fallen leaves and left in the soil. In the south there is no need to even mulch it. In the spring, anemones quickly expand the above-ground part, bloom in due time, and in the fall they go to rest without causing unnecessary trouble for their owners.
Anemones with tuberous rhizomes
This is not how the anemone equipped with a tuber behaves, which grows under natural conditions in southern Europe. Most species need to be dug up for the winter even in the Krasnodar Territory and Ukraine, with the exception of the Black Sea coast.
Tuberous anemones
Let's take a closer look at tuber-bearing anemones, at least the most beautiful and popular species. We will find out whether they must be dug up, or whether preparation for winter can be done in another way.
Anemone apennine
The homeland of this anemone is the deciduous forests of southern Europe and the Balkans. It needs humus-rich soils under the shade of trees or large shrubs. Flowering occurs in early spring, and light partial shade provides brighter color of the buds.
Apennine anemone reaches a height of 15 cm, single blue flowers with a diameter of up to 3 cm are located on strong peduncles. Tubers of irregular shape can withstand frosts up to 23 degrees. Anemone of this species looks especially beautiful in continuous plantings, so digging them up is not recommended. It is better to cover the soil with a thick layer of mulch, and in regions with a particularly harsh climate, use spunbond and spruce branches.
Apennine anemone has many garden forms, differing in flower color and number of petals.
Caucasian anemone
This anemone, despite its name, is more resistant to cold than the previous one. It grows in the alpine belt of the Caucasus Mountains, slightly below the eternal snow. There is no need to dig up the anemone for the winter; just mulch the soil well.
Outwardly, it is similar to the Apennine anemone, but prefers open areas and poor watering. It grows up to 10-20 cm, blue flowers reach a diameter of 3 cm, with the beginning of summer the above-ground part dies off.
Tender anemone
Light-loving and drought-resistant anemone up to 15 cm high can withstand up to 25 degrees below zero. There is no need to dig up its tubers, and if you plant it under the protection of trees or shrubs, you can limit yourself to light shelter for the winter.
The homeland of this anemone is the countries of Asia Minor, the Balkans and the Caucasus. It attracts attention with blue flowers up to 3.5 cm in diameter. There are garden forms of lavender, pink, white or red, and there are bicolor varieties.
Garden anemone
White, red or pink anemone flowers with a diameter of 5 cm bloom in early spring. The bush with openwork leaves reaches a height of 15-30 cm. These beautiful anemones need to be dug up after the above-ground part dies. It is better not to delay this, since in the summer you will not find a place where the anemone grew. If you don't get the tubers out of the ground, they will freeze in winter.
Sparkling anemone
Only a few lucky ones can boast that this graceful guest from the southern regions of Spain and France grows in their garden. This anemone is a natural hybrid of the peacock anemone and the garden anemone. You need to have time to dig up its tubers before the above-ground part completely dies off in the summer.
Bright red flowers with contrasting black stamens reach 4 cm and bloom with the arrival of warmer weather. The bush reaches a size of 10-30 cm.
Crown anemone
This is the most spectacular of the anemones, both tuberous and rhizomatous. But along with its stunning beauty comes a capricious character and an absolute inability to withstand frost, so the question of how to preserve this anemone in winter is by no means idle. She is called the queen of spring flowers and, probably, it is difficult to name a person who has not at least once tried to plant a crown anemone in his garden. It grows naturally in the Middle East and Mediterranean.
Crown anemone grown for cutting all year round in greenhouses. Most bulbs on sale belong to numerous varieties or hybrids of this species. It is difficult to grow, but the effort pays off with the unusual, catchy beauty of flowers up to 8 cm in diameter. They can be simple, double, of a wide variety of colors - from white to dark purple, bicolor.
The height of the crown anemone exceeds other tuberous species, it grows up to 45 cm. The bulbs are also large - up to 5 cm in diameter. They must be dug up for the winter, stored, and then planted at the right time directly into the ground or in pots for forcing or transplanting into a flower bed.
Digging and storing anemone tubers
As you can see, it is not always necessary to dig up anemones with tuberous rhizomes, but they should be well covered for the winter.
When to dig up anemone tubers
All anemones, the rhizomes of which are tubers, have a short growing season. They bloom, produce seeds, and then their aboveground part dries up. If you don't hurry with digging, it will simply be impossible to find them. It’s good if the species winters in your latitudes.You can mulch the landing site and calm down. And if not? It's a shame to lose a beautiful spring flower.
As soon as the anemone leaves dry out, dig them out of the ground. If you know that you will not be able to do this on time, for example, you are leaving, are not always on the site, or for any other reason, mark the planting site with sticks or twigs stuck into the ground. Then, at the first opportunity, the nodules can be dug up and sent for winter storage.
How to prepare anemones for storage
After you remove the anemone tubers from the ground, cut off the above-ground part, wash them and soak them in a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate or foundationole for 30 minutes. This is necessary in order to destroy pathogens.
Where and how to store anemone tubers
At home, anemone tubers go through three stages of storage:
- immediately after disinfection, lay the anemones in one layer to dry in a well-ventilated area at a temperature of about 20 degrees;
- after 3-4 weeks, place them in a linen or paper bag or in a wooden box filled with sawdust, peat, sand until October;
- For the rest of autumn and winter, anemones need to be stored at a temperature of 5-6 degrees Celsius.
When the time comes to germinate anemone or prepare for planting, you will remove dry, wrinkled balls from the shelter, which in a few months will turn into beautiful flowers.
Conclusion
Even if it seemed to you that digging up and storing tuberous anemones is troublesome, remember about the rhizomatous varieties that require minimal shelter. They are not so spectacular, but have their own unique beauty.
