Growing Anemones

Let’s talk about one of our favorite spring flowers we grow, Anemones.

Blue anemones

When my mother and I started full time flower growing we jumped in with two feet, well actually 4 feet. We ordered spring bulbs and corms for flowers we had never actually seen in person before. This did not deter us from jumping in because we knew we were heading to Fort Worth, TX for a Growers School presented by the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG) that was focused on spring bloom production. There we learned how to grow the bulbs and corms. Also, the great flower farmers of Texas brought incredible fresh flowers for us to arrange which included amazing anemones.

Anemone bunch

In our zone 6a anemones require a bit more care than the typical annuals we grow. They are hardy from zone 7-10. We grow anemones in unheated high tunnels over the winter, covering them with frost blankets when the nights are below freezing for additional protection. Anemones prefer cool soil to develop their roots but the soil can not freeze.

Anemone corms

We pre-sprout anemones before planting them in the soil. This gives us a head start on the season. Our anemones that are blooming now, mid-March, were pre-sprouted in October and transplanted in mid-December. They survived in unheated high tunnels all winter with row covers on at night and when the temperatures fell below 20 degrees F we double covered. This added a bit more protection to keep the ground from freezing.

Anemones pre-sprouting in trays in our greenhouse.

A pre-sprouted anemone ready to be planted.

When anemones start to bloom, we do a happy dance! There is nothing like the first bloom of the season. With that being said the first blooms have very short stem length. The stems are just long enough to go in bud vases. It take several week for the stems to get to a saleable length. After patiently waiting fort the stems to get longer the plants reward us with 24 inch stems.

Each anemone plant produces many blooms and the flowers have a nice vase life of 7-10 days.

They come in many different varieties and many colors. We grow Marianne and Galilee type in many different colors.

Anemones aren’t the easiest spring flower to grow but they are worth every bit of effort we put into it. The blooms are a bright spot in our spring production.