| Anemone a-'nem-o-ne Often called windflower, there is a species that blooms from August into the fall with showy flowers that the bees love. |
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 Anemone
are often called windflowers because many species grow in windward
places. There are
about 120 species and is found chiefly in the Northern Temperate Zone in
the United States, Europe and the Far East. About 25 species occur in
North America. They are perennial herbs related to the Buttercup. They
have showy usually white flowers. They are often called
windflowers because many species grow wild in windward places. While most of
the Anemone blossom in April or May, there is an autumn-blooming
species, the pink Japanese
Anemone shown here. The American Pasqueflower flourishes wild in the Dakotas and is the state flower
of South Dakota. |
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 Anemone
multiply very rapidly from the tubers
under the ground, thus making great ground cover. If they get out of
control in one place you can dig up the tubers when the flow dies off
and place them somewhere else. To propagate you can use cuttings of the tubers in
autumn and early spring - from October to the end of March - and also
from seed, which should be sown within a month of ripening because it
deteriorates if you store it. |
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It's
August in Central New York and we've had our first frost. Yes, fall is upon us,
but the bees have been very busy buzzing around the
flourishing Anemones in the backyard. There are literally hundreds of
bees busily working on the blossoms from dawn until dusk.
The distinguishing characteristics of Anemone are
the presence of three entire leaflets arranged in a whorl under the
flowers. There are 3 flowers that bloom quite a distance above the leaflets and the fact that the flowers have no real petals
five petal-like sepals. The stem itself is over 3 feet long. Anemone flowers are blue, red, white, and
pink. All species are
toxic and the leaves and flowers should not be eaten.