April Spotlight: Anemones
Ellie Jones
Credit: WedLuxe
On the blog this month, please welcome the wonderful Sarah of Compton Garden Flowers - one of my local suppliers - talking all about Anemones. Take it away, Sarah!
“The beautiful Anemone. Believe it or not there are almost 200 species of Anemone, common name: Wind Flower.
There are several meanings attached to the humble anemone including forsaken or forgotten love, protection against evil and ill wishes and my favourite, fairies and their magical world of twilight.
As a cut flower the species most commonly grown is the Anemone coronaria. The most popular colours are whites, blues, reds and pinks. Some have dark black centres and some light green centres.
They make beautiful cut flowers with a vase life of five to seven days. Top tips for extending vase life: change the water everyday (they are very thirsty stems) and do not keep near the fruit bowl as they are particularly sensitive to ethylene.
Whilst Anemones will keep coming back for around three years, survival rates are not good, particularly if we have very hot summers and each year, those that do survive, have reduced stem length. Therefore, to maintain the quality required for cut flowers I plant a fresh batch each year. Starting in the Autumn, around October time, with a process called pre-sprouting. If you are in a part of the country with very hard winters it would be better to start this process in early spring.
Each plant is grown from a dark coloured tuber which is quite small (4-5cm in circumference). It all starts with tubers being soaked for up to 48 hours, at room temperature and then shallow planted in trays with a mix of compost and vermiculite and left in the greenhouse. After 2-3 weeks you will start to see shoots and leaves forming, at this point they are ready to be planted out.
I usually grow outside and cover with a low tunnel during periods of extreme cold because the buds do not like getting frosted. That said Anemones are a cool weather flower, they will not tolerate warm/hot weather so are enjoyed in the springtime.
Anemone flowers will open during the day and close at night I guess that is why the fairies favour them at twilight!”
If you’re thinking about flowers for an April wedding or event and you would like to discuss seasonal availability then get in touch and keep an eye on the Bouquets for Days Instagram for more seasonal ingredients making an appearance throughout the month.