Flower spotlight: anemone

Anemones might make you think of clownfish and crashing waves, but the name also belongs to a flower in the buttercup family. With wide petals on delicate, wiry stems, anemones are some of the earliest perennials to grace gardens each year. Also known as windflowers, they feature soft shades of white with occasional touches of purple and pink.
 

This bloom is unique in that the different varieties flourish in almost every season — spring, summer, and fall. Easy to care for and quick to propagate, anemones are one of the go-to ground cover blooms of choice for many avid gardeners and landscapers.
 

An old wives’ tale says anemones can predict the weather because their blooms will close when a storm is coming. That’s not the only interesting tidbit in this flower’s history. They were a common symbol of death in Greek mythology, in large part due to the role they played in the tragic love story of Aphrodite and Adonis.
 

In the story, Ares, the ex-love of Aphrodite, disguised himself as a boar and killed Adonis in a jealous rage. Aphrodite tried to save her lover, but Adonis’ soul had already left his body. As she carried her love out of the woods, each drop of his blood that fell along the trail turned into crimson anemones. Because of that tragic tale, anemones represent unfading love.
 

Their rich history and symbolism continued throughout history. Christians consider them to be a symbol of the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Irish and English cultures believed anemone blooms closed when fairies were sleeping inside.
 

The anemones’ broad range of symbolism, from love to death, makes it an especially unique flower with a place in history that most others can’t compare to. If you’re interested in both the history and lore of flowers, the anemone is one of the most historically significant and interesting blooms you’ll find.
 

Ask a Lilygrass floral designer how you can incorporate this unique bloom into your next floral order!

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