Poppy Anemone
Anemone coronaria
Poppy Anemone blooms from March through May.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Poppy Anemone
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 7–10. Expect it to reach about 12 in tall and 6 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year.
When to plant Poppy Anemone
Poppy Anemone is a fall-planted bulb: get it in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes, typically October or November across zones 7 to 10. It pays you back the following March to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 8 in October.
8 more colors in the Anemone family
Same family, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
Good to know about Poppy Anemone
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
All parts are poisonous. The sap holds protoanemonin, a vesicant: it reddens, swells and blisters skin, and eating it causes mouth pain, vomiting and diarrhea. per NC State and Cornell
Worth knowing
It blooms early, when little else does, drawing spring bees and butterflies. The flower cannot self-pollinate, so it depends on those visitors to set seed. per NC State and MDPI
Fall plant or spring annual?
In mild zones (roughly 7 to 10) plant corms in fall and leave them. Hard freezes kill the foliage, so colder zones grow it as an annual or lift them. per NC State and Clemson
Soak the corms first
The dry, hard corms are soaked in water before planting to plump them and speed sprouting; Clemson soaks them overnight. per Clemson
Deer and rabbit resistant
Deer and rabbits usually leave it alone: the acrid, burning-tasting sap that makes every part poisonous works as a browse deterrent, though the very hungry may still sample it. per NC State and Cornell
Planting depth and spacing
Plant the corms 2 to 3 in (5 to 7.5 cm) deep and 4 to 6 in apart. per NC State and Clemson
Naturalizes where winters are mild
In mild-winter zones (for example zone 8) established plantings overwinter and spread into an ever-denser patch over the years; propagate by seed or by dividing the tubers. per NC State and Clemson
What pairs well with Poppy Anemone
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Feather Reed Grass
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
False Indigo
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; overlaps, then carries the display into early summer; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Blue Oat Grass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Spiderwort
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; echoes the blue.
Shasta Daisy
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; its white flowers settle the blue.
Blue Fescue
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; they only overlap in zones 7 to 8.
Gardenia
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate to high water; overlaps, then carries the display into midsummer; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 3.9 ft, for the layer behind it.
Lavender
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; purple sits close to blue on the wheel.
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