Anemone
Windflowers bring jewel colours to spring — from the low, daisy-like carpets of Anemone blanda under trees to the tall, poppy-bright cut flowers of Anemone coronaria. The knobbly little tubers look lifeless when you buy them, so the one job that makes all the difference is soaking them before they go in the ground.
Toxic if chewed (irritant sap)
Anemones are on the RHS list of potentially harmful plants. The fresh sap contains protoanemonin, an irritant that causes drooling, mouth irritation and stomach upset if chewed. Most animals are put off by the bitter taste before they eat much.
Care at a glance
Everything that matters, in six lines. The detail is further down.
Light
Anemone blanda enjoys dappled shade under trees; the coronaria types want full sun for the best, brightest flowers. Match the type to the spot.
Water
Keep the soil moist but never waterlogged through growth and flowering. Soggy ground rots the tubers, so drainage is essential.
Planting time
Plant the small tubers in autumn for spring flowers, or in early spring for a summer show. In cold gardens, spring planting is safer for coronaria.
Planting depth
Soak the tubers first, then plant about 5 cm deep and 8–10 cm apart. The knobbly tubers have no obvious top, so just lay them on their side.
Feeding
Work compost into the soil before planting; a balanced feed as growth starts helps the coronaria types crop over a long season.
Soil
A fertile, free-draining soil enriched with compost suits both. Add grit on heavy clay so the tubers don't sit wet and rot.
What to do, and when
Anemone blanda opens its blue, white and pink daisies under trees, and autumn-planted coronaria flower now. It's also a good time to soak and plant fresh tubers for a summer show. Let the foliage die back after flowering.
Spring-planted coronaria flower through summer — keep picking or deadheading to prolong them. Blanda goes dormant; leave the yellowing leaves to feed the tubers before they vanish.
Prime planting time. Soak the tubers, then set them 5 cm deep in fertile, well-drained soil for flowers next spring. In very cold gardens, hold coronaria back for spring planting instead.
Tubers sit dormant in the ground. In hard-frost gardens, autumn-planted coronaria may need a cloche or fleece; blanda is fully hardy and needs no protection.
Soak the tubers before planting
Anemone tubers arrive as small, hard, wrinkled knobbles that look completely dead. They're not — they're just bone-dry. Before planting, soak them in cool water for a few hours, up to overnight, until they plump up and swell noticeably.
Soaking kick-starts them into growth and gives faster, more even results. Don't overdo it, though — more than about 12 hours and they can rot. A few hours in a bowl of water while you dig the bed over is ideal.
Two very different anemones
It helps to know which you're growing. Anemone blanda is a low, daisy-flowered woodlander for naturalising in dappled shade under trees, spreading into gentle carpets of blue, white and pink in early spring.
Anemone coronaria — the De Caen and St Brigid strains — are taller, poppy-bright florist's flowers for a sunny bed or the cutting patch. They want more sun, richer soil and can be planted in succession for a long run of cut flowers.
Naturalising and dying back
Anemone blanda is the one to let loose under trees and shrubs. Scatter the soaked tubers and plant them where they land for a natural drift, and over the years they'll seed and spread into a proper spring carpet.
As with all these bulbs and tubers, let the foliage yellow and die back naturally after flowering — it's feeding next year's display. Resist tidying it away while it's still green, and simply clear the papery remains once they've withered.
Common problems
Tubers that never sprout
Usually planted dry and hard. Always soak the tubers for a few hours to overnight before planting so they swell and wake up; plant into moist, warm soil.
Tubers rotting in the ground
Waterlogged soil, or tubers soaked far too long. Plant in free-draining soil with added grit on clay, and keep the pre-planting soak to a few hours, not days.
Few flowers on Anemone coronaria
Too little sun or poor soil. Give the coronaria types full sun and fertile, compost-enriched ground, and feed as growth gets going.
Powdery mildew or leaf problems in dry spells
A white coating in hot, dry weather. Keep the soil moisture even, improve airflow, and clear affected foliage to slow it spreading.
Everything a windflower planting needs
Good tubers, a soak before planting, and free-draining soil.
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Other plants with a similar temperament.
How we checked this
Care cross-checked against the RHS, which lists Anemone among potentially harmful plants — protoanemonin irritant in the sap. If our page and these sources ever disagree, believe them — and tell us.
Sources: RHS · ASPCA — toxic & non-toxic plants
Last reviewed · August 2026