Beautiful & Beneficial: Daughters Of The Wind
Its name means daughter of the wind in Greek. Grecian Windflowers or Anemone Blanda are native to the Mediterranean region. True to its name, this low growing flower endures the fiercest of March winds, to bloom just after the snow melts. They are blooming in my garden in Puslinch now and have been for about a week.
A perennial ground cover, years ago, I planted it in the same bed as Blue False Indigo and this has proved a good decision, as the anemone will flower first and, as the anemone loses its leaves and goes into dormancy for the warm summer months, the Blue False Indigo sends up shoots.
A member of the Buttercup family (Ranunculae) and the most commonly available of the anemone, the tiny tubers of Anemone Blanda should be planted in fall. In early spring, you will enjoy blue, white, purple and pink flowers. The anemone is carefree, with only weeding required. As your patch matures and spreads, it will form a mass of blooms within a few years. It would be perfect for a rock garden.
You will not be the sole beneficiary, as early emerging honey bees also love it.
