Common name:Windflower
Family: Ranunculaceae, Buttercup
Height x width, habit: 6-48" x 6-36" (varies with species), low mounded with flowers above
Growth rate:moderate to fast
Foliage: compound into 3 segments (ternate to trifoliate), mostly or all basal depending on species
Flowers: often resembling a poppy, many colors depending on species, 2-3" across, most species have no petal rather showy sepals
Hardiness: 3-5 to 7
Soil: well-drained, fertile, organic, moist
Light: sun to part shade
Pests and Problems: leaf spots, rhizome rot, rusts, viruses, botrytis blight, powdery and downy mildew, smut, flea beetles on seedlings, nematodes (pests seldom serious)
Landscape habit, uses: borders, naturalized woodlands, rock gardens for low species
Other interest: ancient name from the Greek anemos for wind, a name used by Theophrastus
Other culture: often do best protected from wind; tuberous rhizomes should be planted out in fall in south, in spring in north after soaking overnight in water; treat as gladiolus, digging tubers and bringing indoors, in zones 3-4
Propagation: seed, division of tubers in fall, root cuttings of x hybrida and similar
Species:
The following species and cultivars are most commonly found in U.S. commerce. Those marked * are the most popular. Colors are for the species, some of which have other colors for cultivars. Three general groupings occur according to ecological habitat.
• Those with tubers or rhizomes vary in bloom time, and occur in several habitats including woodlands and well-drained soils, although they tolerate drier soils during summer dormancy after bloom.
• Tuberous-rooted species flower early and occur in areas of hot dry summers and light sandy soils; they require dry dormancy after flowering and are often less hardy.
| Species | zones | height | flower color | bloom time | roots | native |
| blanda | 4-7 | 6-8" | sky blue,white | early spring | rhizome | Greece |
| *canadensis | 3-7 | 12-24" | white | spring | rhizome | N. U.S., Canada |
| coronaria | 6-9 | 6-10" | various | early spring | tuberous | Mediterranean |
| *cylindrica | 5-7 | 8-24" | white | summer | fibrous | W. U.S. |
| x hybrida | 5-7 | 2-3' | white, pink | fall | fibrous | hybrid |
| *hupehensis | 5-7 | 2-3' | white, pink | fall | fibrous | Central China |
| *x lesseri | 5-7 | 15-18" | rose red | early summer | rhizome | hybrid |
| magellanica | 3-7 | 6-8" | white | early spring | rhizome | Chile |
| nemorosa | 4-8 | 6-8" | white | early spring | rhizome | Europe |
| rivularis | 7-8 | 2-3' | white, bluish | late spring | rhizome | China, India |
| *sylvestris | 4-7 | 12-18" | white | spring | rhizome | Europe |
| tomentosa | 5-8 | 18-36" | white | fall | fibrous | Nepal |
| virginiana | 4-7 | 1-2' | white | summer | rhizome | N. Amer. |
| vitifolia | 5-7 | 2-3' | white | late summer | rhizome | China |
Additional species notes:
• canadensis (ca-na-den' sis)--Meadow Anemone, very invasive
• coronaria (cor-o-nair' ee-ah)--Poppy Anemone, mainly found as cultivars, short-lived so should be treated as annuals, good cut
• x hybrida (hi-bri-dah')--Hybrid/Japanese Anemone, many good hybrid cultivars
• hupehensis (hue-pe-hen' sis)--Japanese Anemone, found originally in Japan in 1695 and brought to England in 1844 by Robert Fortune, it was originally called A. japonica; many good cultivars now in var. japonica of this species
• nemorosa (nee-more-o' sah)--Wood Anemone, prefers slightly acid soil and fall planting, variable with many cultivars
• sylvestris (sil-ves' triss)--Snowdrop Anemone, very invasive especially in cooler North
• tomentosa (toe-men-toe' sah)--Grapeleaf Anemone, forming clumps
and spreading by stolons, very easy to grow, attractive for early fall,
formerly known as vitifolia only more hairy (tomentose) than that
species
Cultivars:
| Cultivar | species | flowers | other |
| 'Alba':'Honorine Jobert' | |||
| 'Alba Plena' | nemorosa | white, semi-double | 10" tall |
| 'Alice' | x hybrida | light pink, semi-double | |
| 'Bressingham Glow' | hupehensis | deep rose, semi-double | var. japonica |
| 'Charmer' | blanda | deep rose | |
| Cleopatra hybrids | coronaria | mix | commercial cuts |
| *De Caen hybrids | coronaria | mix, single, saucer-shape | from 18th century, France |
| 'Die Braut':'The Bride' | |||
| 'Elegans' | hupehensis | pale rose | |
| 'Hadspen Abundance' | hupehensis | pink rose, single | |
| 'His Excellency':'Hollandia' | |||
| 'Hollandia' | coronaria | scarlet, white base, black | De Caen hybrid |
| *'Honorine Jobert' | x hybrida | white | popular since 1858 |
| 'Konigin Charlotte':'Queen Charlotte' | |||
| 'Kriemhilde' | x hybrida | pink, semi-double | fine, since 1909 |
| 'Lady Gilmore' | x hybrida | pure pink, semi-double | large flowers |
| 'Lord Lieutenant' | coronaria | purple blue | St. Brigid hybrid |
| *'Margarete' | x hybrida | deep pink,semi-double | sterile flowers |
| 'Max Vogel' | x hybrida | pink, single | 4' tall |
| Mona Lisa hybrids | coronaria | singles, mix | large, long vase life |
| 'Monterosa' | x hybrida | deep rose, semi-double | twisted narrow sepals |
| 'Montrose':'Monterosa' | |||
| 'Mr. Fokker' | coronaria | violet blue | De Caen hybrid |
| 'Mt. Everest' | coronaria | white | St. Brigid hybrid |
| *'Pamina' | x hybrida | lavender, rose | semi-double |
| 'Pink Star' | blanda | purple, large | |
| 'Praecox' | hupehensis | dark pink, single | early |
| *'Prince Henry' | hupehensis | deep rose, semi-double | var. japonica |
| 'Prinz Heinrich':'Prince Henry' | |||
| 'Queen Charlotte' | x hybrida | pink, semi-double, 3" | ragged sepal edges |
| 'Radar' | blanda | mauve, white centers | large flowers |
| 'Richard Ahrends' | x hybrida | pink lilac, semi-double | fade white |
| *'Robustissima' | tomentosa | mauve pink | zone 4 hardy |
| var. rosea | blanda | rose | |
| 'Rosenschale' (Pink Shell) | hupehensis | dark rose | |
| *'September Charm' | hupehensis | silvery pink, single | darker outside, drooping |
| 'Splendens' | hupehensis | purple, pink | |
| *St. Brigid hybrids | coronaria | mix or separate | semi-double |
| 'Sylphide' | coronaria | violet rose | Mona Lisa hybrid |
| 'The Admiral' | coronaria | blue | St. Brigid hybrid |
| 'The Bride' | coronaria | white | De Caen hybrid |
| 'The Governor' | coronaria | crimson scarlet | De Caen hybrid |
| 'Violet Star' | blanda | violet, white centers | |
| *'Whirlwind' | x hybrida | white, semi-double, 4" | 4-5' tall |
| 'Wirbelwind':'Whirlwind' | |||
| *'White Splendour' | blanda | creamy white, single | |
(blanda and 'Honorine Jobert' photos courtesy Missouri botanical gardens plantfinder)
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