Plant profile - Dwarf anemone

These dwarf forms vary between 10-30cm range in height, much smaller than the border forms. However they do provide a much broader range of colours, pretty much all colours under the rainbow. The wood anemones (A. nemorosa) unsurprisingly prefer a dappled shade position, whereas the others are more flexible, like the windflowers (A. blanda), some shade some sun, to the full sun lovers of the peacock windflower (A. pavonina). Greek anemos meaning 'wind', mone meaning 'habit', hence the common name windflower.

In Beth's words

‘Sitting in the Little Grassy Wood in early April, glad of the sun on my back to counter the chill wind, I look across to pools of blue scattered throughout the grass floor made by two types of wood anemone. From a distance it is not easy to distinguish one from the other, but if you walk towards them, facing the sun, you will see the backs of their petals, a cold silvery white in the case of Anemone nemorosa ‘Robinsoniana’, while the backs of A.n ‘Alenii’ have a purplish stain that gives a deeper, warmer shade of lavender-blue as the petals open wide to the sun. Both make a breathtaking sight whether carpeting short grass or growing in open borders in the Long Shady Walk where they are planted beneath deciduous shrubs, covering the naked soil which later will be hidden beneath great leaves of hosta.'

Wildlife credentials

The flowers produce nectar and pollen that attracts a wide range of insects from bumblebees and honeybees, to ladybirds and other beetles. The best forms for wildlife are those with the natural number of five petal-like sepals: additional sepals are generally mutated stamens or nectaries, such that the value to insects is reduced.

Just some of our range:

Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana' - low-growing wood anemone with mid-green deeply cut leaves. Solitary light lavender-blue flowers with silvery backs to the petals. Height and spread 20cm x 30cm.

Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana'

Anemone x lesseri - a low growing anemone which never fails to draw attention to upturned light wine-coloured flowers in midsummer. Synonym A. multifida 'Rubra'. Height and spread 20cm x 20cm.

Anemone x lesseri

Anemone nemorosa 'Cedric's Pink' - our creeping native wood anemone with typical white flowers, which age to a good pink. Height and spread 20cm x 40cm.

Anemone nemorosa 'Cedric's Pink'

Anemone pavonina - similar to A. x fulgens but has jewel-like flowers in many shades, deep rose, crimson red, cherry, and salmon pink often with navy-blue eyes, while others, creamy-white are stained coral on reverse. Grown from seed so any colour possible. Height and spread 20cm x 10cm.

Anemone pavonina

Anemone multifida 'Major' - neat clumps of dark green, cut leaves are a setting for cool lemon-yellow flowers in spring, followed by large, woolly seedheads. Height and spread 25cm x 10cm.