Anemone: how to grow these glorious spring flowers

Come spring, our native wood anemone carpets ancient woodlands with starry white flowers, and colourful bunches of Mediterranean anemones blaze purple, pink, and red outside florists. Anemones are also great garden plants, and there are different species to brighten borders in shade and sun, through spring, summer, and autumn.

The name anemone means daughter of the wind, from the Greek ánemos (wind) and the feminine suffix ṓnē, because the saucer or daisy flowers dance on the breeze and because the buds are said to open on the wind. In Greek mythology, anemones are sacred to Aphrodite. When the goddess's lover Adonis was killed, her tears mixed with his blood, causing red anemones to sprout from the ground. This is likely to be the bright-red or pink Anemone pavonina (native to Greece) or A. coronaria (which also hails from the Mediterranean and can bloom scarlet).

In old England, it was bad luck to bring the white wood anemone (A. nemorosa) indoors, since folklore states it can attract lightning and bring faeries (who like to sleep in the flowers) into the house. Whilst in Europe, anemones were regarded as protective, so bunches were hung over doorways to keep witches away.

There are 63 species of anemone, and those available to gardeners can roughly be divided into three groups: the pretty low-growing woodlanders that bloom in spring; the brightly coloured Mediterranean forms that love to sunbathe in gravel gardens; and the late-flowering tall Japanese anemones, which are vigorous, but beautiful and a doddle to grow.

Kicking off the show in early spring, wood anemones light up shade or semi-shade with white or blue flowers. The native species Anemone nemorosa is white and excellent for naturalising a large area. Some of the best hybrids include 'Vestal' (double white) and 'Robinsoniana', 'Allenii', and 'Royal Blue', all of which are lavender blue.

Other spring woodlanders include blue, pink, and white A. blanda; blazing-yellow A. ranunculoides, and soft-lemon A. x lipsiensis, which is a cross between A. nemorosa and A. ranunculoides. The snowdrop windflower, A. sylvestris, is less well known, but worth growing, since it bears elegant white flowers that nod like snowdrops and will behave itself by only spreading modestly; it is also taller than most woodland anemones, reaching 50 centimetres. All four of these flowers hail from mainland Europe, with only A. x lipsiensis native to the UK.

As we move into early summer, the fashionable Wild Swan – which has graceful lavender-backed white flowers – begins to bloom. Thought to be a cross between early and late-flowering forms, it can bloom intermittently from May into November.

And then, bringing up the rear, from late summer to early autumn, it is the turn of the Japanese and Chinese anemones (A. x hybrida and A. hupehensis). These bulletproof perennials produce a mass of white or pink flowers in semi-shade, usually reaching around 80 centimetres to 1.2 metres. 'Hadspen Abundance' is pastel pink, 'Honorine Jobert' is white, and new variety ‘Pamina’ is a double lilac pink.

The brightly coloured Mediterranean anemones like to bask in sun-baked borders. Anemone pavonina (peacock windflower) can be seen growing wild in olive groves and fallow fields in Crete, producing gorgeous carpets of red and pink in spring. A. coronaria (the garden anemone or poppy windflower) thrives in the same type of habitat, and is breathtaking en masse, producing saucer flowers of vermillion red, purple blue, plum pink, or white, with chocolate-black centres. Being such a joyous sight, it's no surprise that Matisse loved to paint them.

A. coronaria and A. pavonina produce a variety of colours; for pure heartstopping red in spring, grow A.x fulgens (known as the scarlet windflower or blood drops of Christ). All three will reach around 20 to 30 centimetres, making them perfect for the front of a border.

Finally, the graceful cream-lemon flowers of the Rocky Mountain windflower (A. multifida), which is native to the Americas, can be grown in sun or semi-shade, and blooms from May into June.

A few anemones (including Wild Swan) can be tricky. But, in general, the species wood anemones and the Japanese and Chinese anemones are incredibly easy in the right conditions.

Some species (including A. blanda and A. coronaria) benefit from soaking before planting. Like bare-root roses, it's wise to soak and plant as soon as possible, after they arrive from your supplier. Sit them in a bowl or bucket of water for 2 hours or overnight.

Woodland anemones should go in the ground in autumn.

Anemone pavonina tubers are best planted in the spring. Alternatively, Special Plants sells the red form of A. pavonina as seed, which should be sown in the autumn.

A. coronaria can be planted in spring, early summer, or autumn. For March flowers, a September planting is required and (in all but the mildest regions of the UK) is best done in pots that are kept under cover (for instance, in a greenhouse) during winter, before being planted outside in February or March. For flowers in early summer, plant in early spring.

Japanese and Chinese anemones like to be planted between November and March.

Wood anemones should be planted 5 to 8 centimetres deep in humus-rich, well-drained, retentive soil in light shade or semi-shade. If you don't have a woodland garden, forking in leafmould before planting will create the perfect conditions. For naturalising a large area, choose Anemone nemorosa, A. ranunculoides, or A. blanda. If you have areas of dry shade, the charming sky-blue A. apennina is the best option, although not widely available.

If planting A. coronaria in pots to overwinter indoors, never let the pots become waterlogged – only scant watering is required to prevent the compost becoming parched. In the milder regions of the UK, plant direct in September or early spring and guard from severe cold with cloches or upturned buckets; in colder regions, only plant direct once the weather has warmed. Plant 5 to 10 centimetres deep, in sheltered full sun, in well-drained soil (a light, sandy soil is ideal). As detailed above, always soak before planting.

Plant A. pavonina 5 to 8 centimetres deep in well-drained soil in full sun. In colder areas, it appreciates a sheltered gravel garden or the base of a south-facing wall.

Wild Swan is usually best in semi-shade; it can sulk in sun unless it has soil that remains moist (fork in organic matter, such as peat-free compost, to achieve this).

The bombproof Japanese and Chinese anemones should be planted in well-drained, retentive soil in semi-shade, where they have elbow room to spread. Being thugs, they suit an informal, scrubby patch of garden, where they can extend themselves without becoming a nuisance. Their leaves irritate the skin, so wear gloves and long sleeves when handling them.

Many anemones (including A. blanda and A. nemorosa) can be grown in well-drained containers of loam-based peat-free compost. Some – especially the Mediterranean species (such as A. pavonina) – benefit from this in colder areas, since it allows them to be moved under cover for winter. Never let the pot sit in a tray of water for long periods.

Colourful Anemone coronaria makes an excellent cut flower in spring and early summer. Grown in rows in the vegetable patch, it provides a blast of colour; alternatively, it can be cultivated in borders or containers.

According to some florists, anemones represent sincerity. But in many cultures, the flower's overriding symbolism is sorrow and death; no doubt because the plant contains the toxin protoanemonin. Therefore, in case the recipient is symbol savvy, it might not be the best flower to send as a gift!

Protect anemones from slugs, and prevent powdery mildew by planting in suitable conditions with good air flow. Anemones are poisonous to pets, so are best avoided if you have a puppy that eats everything in sight.