Sunday, April 14, 2013

Anemone pavonina

Anemone pavonina blooming in my garden now
     A number of years ago both Heronswood and the O'Byrne's Northwest Garden Nursery offered a good selection of different colors of an anemone which, up until that time, I had not been familiar with.  These anemones were labeled as Anemone pavonina, which is an anemone native to the Mediterranean region,  like the more common Anemone coronaria.  I bought a few of these anemones from both nurseries, selecting this hot pink color because it is one of my favorite colors and I wanted that shade in the garden at this time of the year.  This flower also comes in other shades of pink, red,  purple, salmon, and white, but I don't have any of those shades on the plants in my garden.
     After that seemingly one time offering of this anemone, it sort of disappeared from the trade.  I have not seen it offered locally since, and it puzzles me as to what became of it.  I think it is an excellent plant.  It has survived well in my garden in fairly open spots.  I have gotten a few, but not many, self sown seedlings, and I wouldn't mind more of them.  Since the foliage looks like that of the common ranunculus weed around here, maybe I have had more seedlings, but just not noticed them.  I believe this plant can be divided, but I have not yet done so.
     I do not know of any current source for Anemone pavonina in the U.S., but the main source in the UK seems to have been Ashwood Nursery.  Sadly, their website indicates that due to a crop failure, neither plants nor seeds were available in 2012 and that they are slowly rebuilding their stock.  The RHS plant finder lists 11 nurseries which carry it.  I do not find it in the Jelitto or Chiltern seed lists.

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