Buy wood anemone bulbs Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana'

Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana'

Position: partial shade
Soil: moist, well-drained soil but can cope with drier conditions when dormant in summer
Rate of growth: fast-growing
Flowering period: April to May
Hardiness: fully hardy
Bulb size: rhizomes range from 12-20mm in length

Usually very difficult to find (and very expensive when you do), this lovely anemone deserves a place in the border under a big shrub or small tree, like a lilac or crab apple. It's also lovely on banks where you can appreciate the large rounded, pale blue flowers which have a striking lavender grey reverse to the petals. Hardy and very easy to grow, it forms good clumps and flowers for a long time. An old variety named at the Oxford Botanical Garden in 1870, like most anemones it prefers a humus-rich, leafy soil in light shade under deciduous trees. The foliage tends to die down in the summer, ready to re-emerge the next spring.
Garden care: Plant the rhizomes in naturalistic drifts 5-8cm (2-3in) deep in September or October.