Favourite Flower for March: Anemone

Spring begins in earnest in March and I feel the urge to move away from the frosty whites and muted tones of the winter and embrace the bright fresh colours of spring.  As bulbs begin to burst into flower there are plenty of colours to choose from, with bright yellow daffodils jostling for space alongside the blues, mauve and pinks of intoxicatingly scented hyacinths and drifts of blue muscari.

But for vivid colour and the stunning simplicity of its blooms with their dark ‘eye’ it is hard to beat the fabulous anemone.

Despite their strong colouring, the petals of the anemone are very delicate, almost translucent, and with visible veining.  The dark centre is very striking, particularly in the white varieties, which makes this quite a statement flower when used en masse.

March’s flower – Anemone coronaria (Windflower)

The beautiful anemone (whose name I always find difficult to pronounce!) grows from a corm rather than a bulb, and makes its appearance in our gardens during spring.  However, it can usually be obtained as a cut flower from the wholesaler throughout the winter months and so is a great addition to the range of flowers available for winter weddings and events, for those who want to introduce a stronger colour theme.

Just look at the fantastic colours of these blue and cerise anemones – don’t they just inspire you......

......or how about the more unusual pink/white shaded petals of this variety, which work so well with the pastel shades of other spring flowers

Anemones look fantastic mixed with other flowers in complementary tones.  Purple, blue and cerise anemones are seen here with mauve phlox and ‘Cool Water’ roses, purple lisianthus and blue clematis, with white hydrangeas lightening the effect and offsetting the stronger colours.

 

For a lighter effect, this hurricane lamp table arrangement uses paler shaded anemones as a strong feature amongst the white ‘Akito’ roses, lilac-coloured hyacinths and pink-tinged skimmia flowers.

And when you want to make an impact, what could be better than these fantastic flowers mixed with others in complementary colours?  Definitely flowers to add the WOW factor!