Poppy anemone

Sun

Full sun; light afternoon shade helps flowers last in warmer climates.

Water

Keep evenly moist while leaves and flowers are growing, but never waterlogged. Keep dormant tubers relatively dry.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil, preferably sandy or loamy. Heavy, wet winter soil often causes tuber rot.

Height

0.75-1.5 ft (0.23-0.45 m)

Spread

0.5-0.75 ft (0.15-0.23 m)

Flowers

Spring after autumn planting, or late spring to early summer after spring planting; red, blue, violet, pink or white, often with dark centres. Flowers may be single or double.

Foliage

Soft green, deeply divided basal leaves that yellow and die back as the plant enters dormancy.

Growth

Moderate; spring-planted tubers can flower in their first growing season.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.5 ft (0.15 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.1 ft (0.34 m)

   full size

About 1 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Moderate

• Soak dry tubers in room-temperature water for 3-4 hours before planting.
• Plant about 2-3 in (5-8 cm) deep and 4-6 in (10-15 cm) apart in freely draining soil.
• Water during active growth whenever the surface soil starts to dry; stop routine watering once foliage dies back.
• Work in mature compost before planting; use a balanced liquid feed during growth if soil is poor or plants are in pots.
• In colder gardens, plant in spring after severe frost, or lift dormant tubers and store them dry and frost-free.
• Where tubers remain outdoors, use a light winter mulch after the soil cools, without trapping wet material over the crowns.

Pruning. Remove faded flowers unless you want seed, cutting each stalk near its base. Leave the foliage until it has yellowed completely, then remove it.

Autumn

In mild-winter regions, soak and plant tubers for spring flowering; avoid sites that stay wet through winter.

Winter

Check outdoor pots for good drainage and shelter them from prolonged hard freezes.

Early spring

In cold-winter regions, plant tubers once soil is workable and severe frost has passed.

Spring

Water during dry spells and feed container plants while they are actively growing.

Spring to early summer

Cut flowers or remove spent blooms regularly, leaving healthy foliage intact.

Summer

Allow leaves to die back naturally, then reduce watering; lift dormant tubers if winter cold or wet soil makes outdoor survival unreliable.

• Plant small groups near the front of sunny borders for clear spring colour.
• Grow in well-drained containers beside paths or seating areas where the flowers are easy to see.
• Combine with tulips, grape hyacinths and forget-me-nots in spring bedding.
• Use in cutting beds for long-stemmed flowers, with later-growing plants nearby to fill the summer gap.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Mediterranean, Romantic rose garden, Modern courtyard, Small-space and Blues and silvers.

Plant it with: Tulips, Grape hyacinths, Forget-me-nots, Pansies, Sweet alyssum and Catmint.

Wildlife: Single flowers provide pollen for visiting bees; densely double forms offer less accessible pollen. This is not a native plant in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada or Australia.

• Tuber rot: cold, saturated soil can destroy tubers; improve drainage, grow in pots or lift them during dormancy.
• Slugs and snails: protect emerging shoots with barriers, hand-picking or an approved iron-phosphate bait.
• Aphids: check buds and young shoots; wash off small colonies or use insecticidal soap according to the label.
• Powdery mildew: space plants for airflow, water the soil rather than foliage and remove badly affected leaves.

Toxic to people, cats, dogs and horses if eaten. All fresh parts, including tubers, contain irritating compounds that can cause mouth irritation, drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea; large amounts can cause serious poisoning. Sap may irritate or blister skin, so wear gloves when handling damaged plants.

• Persian buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus)

  Common garden forms have densely layered, rose-like flowers rather than the broad, open petals and exposed dark centre typical of single poppy anemones.

• Common poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

  Common poppy has hairy stems, crumpled-looking petals and distinctive seed capsules capped by a flat disc; poppy anemone produces a fluffy seed head instead.

• Grecian windflower (Anemone blanda)

  Grecian windflower is shorter and has smaller, daisy-like flowers with numerous narrow petals around a yellow centre.

The Latin epithet coronaria means 'used for crowns or garlands', while poppy anemone describes the resemblance of its flowers to poppies.

Propagation. Separate tuber offsets during summer dormancy, keeping only firm, healthy pieces. Sow fresh seed in cool conditions; germination can be uneven, and seedlings may not match named varieties.

Accepted botanical name

Anemone coronaria

Native range

Algeria, Baleares, Bulgaria, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, France, Greece, Iran, Iraq and Italy.

Measured

Average height 15 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.