Buttercup anemone: description and tips for growing

If you have ever walked in a spring forest, you have probably seen small yellow flowers attracting attention among the barely broken grass. Chances are, you come across a plant known as anemone or buttercup anemone. Our today's material will be dedicated to her: we will describe the appearance of the plant and its features, talk about breeding methods, rules of care, diseases and pests, and use in landscape design.

Buttercup anemone (anemone) is a plant of the buttercup family. In the common people, it is called a goat, a toad potion. Often, an anemone is mistakenly called a buttercup, although these are different plants that differ in the shape of the perianth: in the garden buttercup it is double, with sepals and petals, in the anemone it is ordinary, petal.

Anemone - herbaceous perennial-ephemeroid... This concept denotes a group of plants that spends most of their life underground in the form of a thick, powerful creeping root. The leaves and flowers of the buttercup anemone hatch in early spring for a very short period, and then (by the beginning of summer) all the aboveground green mass withers and dies off. At the end of August, the growth and laying of new green shoots begins underground, in order to please everyone with their bright flowers again next spring.

The beginning of flowering of anemones falls on in mid-April. The rapid growth continues for about 14 days. Foliage and flowers bloom at the same time.

The appearance of the plant includes a single stem, about 30 centimeters high, with triple-dissected, diamond-shaped leaves. Peduncle, as a rule, one, sometimes there are 2-3. Inflorescences are bright yellow, slightly pubescent below. If it's a sunny day, flowers of anemones are open for pollination, produced by small bugs, flies, sometimes bees... In bad weather, the petals are tightly compressed.

The duration of the vegetative period of the anemones depends on the environmental conditions. If it grows in the Far North, it blooms as quickly as the polar summer. If its habitat is semi-desert, aboveground life will continue as long as there is moisture in the soil. In the forest, the anemone blooms until foliage appears on the trees.

After the green surface bush dies off, seeds remain in its place. They are carried by ants, helping the anemone to expand its range. From a seed to an adult plant, the path is very long (about 10 years), but a cultivated anemone is able to grow faster (after 2-3 years). We will talk in more detail about its reproduction below.

Buttercup anemone is a long-liver. She is able to live for 50 years, there were also older specimens. The reason for this is the branching root that forms independent areas from which practically autonomous "clone" plants grow. A forest clearing, strewn with golden star-shaped flowers, may well be formed by one such "octopus" rhizome.

There are 3 ways to breed buttercup anemone:

• seminal;
• tuberous;
• rhizome (bush).

Propagating anemone by seeds is not an easy process. As mentioned above, in natural conditions of growth, buttercup anemone seeds are carried by ants, and there whether they hatch or not depends on the weather conditions. If you want to cultivate a plant in the garden, you need to collect the seed material and plant it immediately. There is no need to store the seeds - they lose their viability very quickly.

For sowing, it is necessary to prepare containers filled with loose soil enriched with nutrients. The seeds should be buried in the ground and covered with mulch on top to avoid drying out the seed material. If you do everything right, the plant will sprout next spring. However, remember that the germination rate of anemone seeds is quite low - about 25%. The ones that survive will delight you with flowers in 2-3 years.

A much more successful breeding method is by dividing the root or bush. There are 2 options for implementing this procedure:

• in a natural way;
• artificially.

Natural division often occurs in nature, when the main rhizome scatters its "tentacles" over a wide area, and viable buds and reproductive organs appear on them, giving life to a new independent bush. It happens that a part of the rhizome between the “head” plant and the “novice” bush dies off, and it turns into an autonomous plant unit.

Artificial division involves digging up the anemone at the beginning of the spring season together with its root and dividing it into parts so that each of them has a living bud. After carrying out this procedure, it is necessary to immediately plant the received "children" in a previously prepared soil with their deepening by 5 cm; the root is laid in a horizontal position.

Buttercup anemone is a perennial, which means that you plant a plant for more than one year. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right place for planting, the type of soil, know how to properly water and fertilize the anemone. Let's consider each factor in more detail.

Buttercup anemone in nature prefers moderate partial shade, so try to find a place on the site where diffused sunlight will fall on it. However, do not forget that its growing season is short, so that the dried bush does not annoy you with its appearance all summer long, plant the anemone next to low shrubs that cover the void with their green foliage.

If the landing site was chosen correctly, the anemone will grow very soon, filling everything around with its greenery. In order to avoid excessive density, planting must be thinned out, separating new bushes and moving them to other flower beds. The best period for transplanting anemones to a new place is the end of flowering, when the ground part of the plant dies off. The bush must be dug out, part of the root with young buds must be separated, and then planted in a new place, deepening it by about 5 cm. It is not necessary to water.

It is recommended to fertilize the transplanted anemone by adding peat or humus to the soil. You can add fallen leaves (oak, maple, apple). This will create the appearance of a natural "litter" like in a forest, which is very common for the buttercup anemone growing in nature under such conditions. When inflorescences appear on the plant, it is advisable to feed it. The anemone should also overwinter under a deciduous "carpet".

Buttercup anemone grows very well in light soils that absorb moisture. Therefore, prepare the ground for planting it with the addition of river sand and small pebbles. If the soil is acidic, add a little dry lime. During the flowering period, pamper the anemone with the introduction of complex fertilizers... This will help increase flower mass and extend the growing season.

The anemone needs to be watered regularly when its aerial parts and inflorescences are formed. At the same time, it is necessary to monitor the amount of applied liquid in order to avoid waterlogging of the soil. Buttercup anemone reacts negatively to excess moisture.

Anemone tolerates winter cold well in temperate climates. At the end of autumn, it is necessary to cover the place where the plant grows with spruce branches, a peat-leafy mixture, forming a layer of about 3 cm.If you live closer to the north with more severe winters, it is best to dig up the anemone and put it in a dark, cool room until the spring disembarkation time.

Buttercup anemone is a plant with good immunity and resistance to pests. However, even she is not immortal. Most often, it is attacked by leaf nematodes, which is expressed in the appearance of yellow specks on the leaves. Diseased bushes must be dug up and destroyed. Change the soil before planting new plants in this area.

Anemone decorates the garden in spring. While other plants are still practically "naked", the anemone pleases the owners of the site with bright yellow flowers - "stars" and a lush bush of green foliage. That is why it is often used in landscape design:

• when decorating alpine slides;
• in combination with early flowering crops: scilla, primrose, muscari and others;
• near paths for their beautiful framing;
• under trees and small bushes;
• in combination with cultivated varieties of buttercup anemone with double flowers and carved leaves.

Anemone looks simple, it is far from bright ornamental plants, but it is this artless beauty that attracts gardeners. Every spring, the site is transformed when the buttercup anemone grows on it.

All about the buttercup anemone, see the video below.