Anemone blanda 'White Splendour'
winter windflower
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: well-drained, humus-rich soil
- Rate of growth: fast
- Flowering period: March to April
- Hardiness: fully hardy
- Bulb size: 5/7
- Garden care: Soak the tubers overnight in cool water and plant them in naturalistic drifts (it doesn't matter which way up) 5cm deep and 15cm apart from September to November, or (for later flowers in spring), February to April. The corms of pot-grown plants will have been potted up in autumn, so while they may be showing some signs of top growth (depending upon what time of the year you buy them), they are unlikely to show any significant root growth. These potted plants can be enjoyed as they are while they bloom, but as the flowers fade, they should either be potted up or planted out in the garden. Avoid planting in soils that remain heavy and wet in winter and leave them undisturbed so they can spread to form large drifts. Apply a generous layer of mulch in autumn.
In spring, large white daisy-like flowers (to 4cm across) emerge above the attractively lobed, dark green foliage. Each petal has a pink flushed reverse and they all sit around a boss of yellow stamens. Ideal for underplanting shrubs or trees, naturalising in a mixed border, or at the edge of a woodland area where these gorgeous little winter windflowers will lift the spirits in spring. For maximum impact plant in bold drifts, and if possible, team it with summer flowering perennials that will mask the foliage, which dies back soon after the flowers fade.
- Humans/Pets: Ornamental bulbs - not to be eaten