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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 only because of repeated flowering, but because of the variety of forms. The genus Anemone belongs to the buttercup family and consists of 150 species. Anemones grow throughout the Northern Hemisphere in temperate climates. Their range extends from the Mediterranean to the Arctic.
It is clear that with such a range of habitats in natural conditions, different species of anemones have different requirements for cultivation and placement. And outwardly, they look little like each other. For example, the modest graceful forest anemone about 10-15 cm tall differs greatly from the exquisite one and a half meter Hubei anemone. The most beautiful and capricious crown is considered to be the most difficult to grow. She has many cultivars and hybrids, the number of which is growing every year. Of course, the question arises how anemones behave in winter. After all, the area of their growth is large, and the content in the cold season cannot be the same.
Do I need to dig up an anemone in the fall? According to their winter hardiness, anemones are divided into those that are able to survive the cold season in the open field, and those that require storage in a room with a positive temperature.
Rhizome anemones
In the conditions of Central Russia, the rhizome anemone is covered with a layer of peat or fallen leaves and left in the soil. In the south, it doesn't even need to be mulched. In the spring, anemones quickly build up the aboveground part, bloom on time, and in the fall they go to rest, without causing unnecessary trouble for the owners.
Anemone with tuberous rhizomes
This is not the case for an anemone supplied with a tuber, which naturally grows in southern Europe. Most species need to be dug for the winter even in the Krasnodar Territory and in Ukraine, with the exception of the Black Sea coast.
Tuberous anemone
Let's take a closer look at the tuber-bearing anemones, at least the most beautiful and popular species. We will find out whether it is necessary to dig them up, or preparation for the winter can be carried out in another way.
Apennine anemone
The homeland of this anemone is the deciduous forests of southern Europe, the Balkans. She needs humus-rich soils under the canopy of trees or large bushes. Flowering occurs in early spring, and light partial shade provides a brighter color of the buds.
Apennine anemone reaches a height of 15 cm, single blue flowers up to 3 cm in diameter are located on strong peduncles. Irregularly shaped tubers can withstand frosts up to 23 degrees. The anemone of this species looks especially beautiful in continuous plantings, therefore it is not recommended to dig them out. 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 color of flowers and the number of petals.
Caucasian anemone
This anemone, despite the 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, it is enough to mulch the soil well.
Outwardly, it looks like the Apennine anemone, but prefers open places and poor watering. It grows up to 10-20 cm, blue flowers reach a diameter of 3 cm, with the beginning of summer, the aerial part dies off.
Tender anemone
Photophilous and drought-resistant anemone up to 15 cm high withstands up to 25 degrees of frost. You do not need to dig up its tubers, and if you plant it under the protection of trees or shrubs, you can limit yourself to a 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 color, there are bicolor varieties.
Garden anemone
White, red or pink anemones with a diameter of 5 cm bloom in early spring. A bush with openwork leaves reaches a height of 15-30 cm. These beautiful anemones need to be dug out after the aerial part dies off. It is better not to delay with this, since already in the summer you will not find the place where the anemone grew. If you do not get the tubers out of the soil, they will freeze in winter.
Anemone sparkling
Only the lucky few can boast that this graceful visitor from the southern regions of Spain and France is growing in their garden. This anemone is a natural hybrid of peacock and garden anemone. Its tubers need to be dug out before the aerial part completely dies out in summer.
Bright red flowers with contrasting black stamens reach 4 cm and bloom when warm. The bush reaches a size of 10-30 cm.
Crown anemone
It is the most spectacular of both tuberous and rhizome anemones. But the stunning beauty is accompanied by a capricious character and an absolute inability to withstand frosts, so the question of how to preserve this anemone in winter is by no means an idle one. She is called the queen of spring flowers and, probably, it is difficult to name a person who at least once has not tried to plant a crown anemone on his site. It grows naturally in the Middle East and Mediterranean.
Crown anemone grown for cutting all year round in greenhouses. Most of the bulbs on the market are of many varieties or hybrids of this species. It is difficult to grow it, but the efforts are paid off by 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, two-color.
The height of the crown anemone surpasses 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 distillation or transplantation to 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 covered well for the winter.
When to dig up anemone tubers
All anemone, whose rhizomes are tubers, have a short growing season. They bloom, give seeds, and then their aerial part dries up. If you do not rush to dig, they simply cannot be found. It is good if the species winters in your latitudes. You can mulch the landing site and calm down on it. And if not? It's a shame to lose a beautiful spring flower.
Once the leaves of the anemone are dry, 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, you 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 aerial part, rinse them and soak them in a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate or foundazole 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, spread the anemones in one layer to dry in a well-ventilated room at a temperature of about 20 degrees;
- after 3-4 weeks, place them in a linen, paper bag or in a wooden box filled with sawdust, peat, sand until October;
- the remainder of autumn and winter is necessary for the anemones to be stored at a temperature of 5-6 degrees Celsius.
When the time comes to germinate the anemone or prepare for planting, you will get 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 was troublesome, remember about rhizome varieties that require minimal cover. They are not so spectacular, but they have their own unique beauty.
