Known as Windflowers and sometimes confused for poppies, Anemones are delicate and colorful flowers that can be grown in gardens around the world. It’s easy to find varieties of this plant that bloom in the spring, summer, or fall. This allows you to create a display for all three seasons just from the same plant. If you’re looking for color variety, you’re in luck. Anemones come in a wide range of colors for all three blooming seasons to help you mix and match for a beautiful yard with less effort.
Anemone Flower Colors – The Essentials
The majority of Anemone varieties are some form of pink or reddish color in varying intensities. White is the second most common color, followed by yellow or gold. Less common colors include lavender, magenta, and two-tone varieties.
Botanical Overview:
Anemone is a genus of its own that includes over a dozen flowering plants. They’re all part of the Ranunculaceae family.
Despite their appearance, Anemones are not closely related to poppies but rather to buttercups. These plants have an extensive range that has them found on every continent short of Australia and Antarctica. Many species are native to North America, but they’re also common in Europe.
Anyone in USDA zone 7a or warmer can grow them outdoors, with most varieties returning yearly for steady color. The flowers tend to rise above the foliage at least a little, mostly on individual stems but sometimes in clusters. Anemones thrive best with frequent watering in well-draining soil and require some partial shade throughout the day and fertilizing in spring and early summer. In addition, it’s prudent to monitor any common anemone pests, bugs, and diseases.
Some varieties have tuberous roots that help them return, but others rely on thinner and rope-like roots that do less to protect the plant from frost over the winter. No matter the color or style, the flowers tend to feature a slight cup shape that makes this distinctive.
The name Anemone is ancient Greek for “daughter of the wind”, which is where its modern name of Windflower comes from. It’s also related to a myth where Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was mourning the death of Adonis. As she cried over the body of her slain mortal lover, her tears fell to the ground and sprang up as colorful flowers. This was the Anemone, known for its beauty and as a symbol of lost love.
Anemone Flower Color Varieties:
The primary colors of Anemones all have their own meanings, so consider color theory when mixing and matching varieties for a gorgeous bed or container. Here are the most common colors for Anemone flowers of all species and varieties.
Lavender Anemones
A light purple color is common for Anemone varieties, especially the lower growing types favored as ground covers.
As a diluted form of purple, lavender is often associated with elegance and intelligence. It doesn’t convey quite the same sense of royalty and regalness as an intense purple shade, but it’s still linked to luxury.
The ‘Lavender-Pink’ variety of Anemone hortensis is very rare, but it features both a light purple petal and a more intensely purple center.
Anemone oregana is native to North America and has a delicate, nearly blue flower with just five petals, giving it a starry look among the foliage.
Many varieties of Anemone blanda are lavender or bluish as well, including ‘Blue Shades’. It’s easy to find anemones of all shapes, sizes, and foliage types offering light purple flowers.
Red Anemones
The Poppy Anemone, or A. coronaria, has many varieties that show off a rich red color. This helps them look even more like the popular poppy while being far easier to grow.
Red colors inflame passions and symbolize strong feelings, especially those of love. Adding red blooms to your landscape can spice up the darker foliage and help add energy and enthusiasm that carries through to the red leaves of fall.
Popular red varieties of Anemone include ‘Hollandia’, with its black centers for contrast, and the spiky double blooms of the unusual-looking ‘Governor Double Red’ variety.
‘Harmony Scarlet’ is as bold as its name suggests and has a deep purple center worth seeing for its color alone.
Pink Anemones
Perhaps the most common color for all Anemones, especially the fall-blooming varieties, pink is both eye-catching and mood-boosting. The color pink is also generally considered a symbol of innocence, playfulness, and fun.
Adding more pink to your landscape can help draw in butterflies, bees, and other pollinators as well. Even hummingbirds may be attracted to some extra hot pink blooms in the garden.
Try cutting some pink Anemones to send a message of friendship and support to someone going through a tough time.
‘Sylphide’ is a poppy-type of Anemone that has a hot pink color that fades to white around a dark center for a colorful two-tone look.
The ‘Blush’ variety of the Italian Anemone has a mottled white to pink appearance with the beauty of a dyed flower straight from nature.
‘Cinderella’ blooms in the fall with big pink blooms that have soft yellow centers.
Bi-color pink varieties include the popular ‘Mona Lisa’, which is available in both a bi-color soft pink and white type and a more shocking hot pink cultivar.
Purple Anemones
Darker purple and violet Anemones contrast against pink and white blooms in a mixed planting. The ‘De Caen Mix’ of popular poppy-type Anemones includes multiple violet blooms with a watercolor or painted look you’ll love. ‘Mr. Fokker’ is a violet Anemone that is as close to a true blue as you’ll get with this flower.
Purple is a symbol of royalty and majesty, making it a good choice for celebrating reaching the top of your career or winning the lottery. It’s also tied to intelligence, wealth, and generosity.
Adding a little more purple to your landscape can make it more dramatic, especially with darker shades.
Another great Anemone option that comes in purple is the ‘Bowles’ variety, which has an appearance almost like saffron crocuses. It’s part of the Anemone nemorosa species native to Europe and barely grows taller than 8 inches.
Magenta Anemones
Magenta is a rare shade for Anemones, but some cultivars do manage to combine red and purple in a bold way in the petals. These Anemones are great for symbolizing maturity and depth of feeling towards someone. While there is sometimes a romantic slant to this color, it’s more commonly used to represent honoring one’s parents or elders.
An excellent variety for showing off a true magenta color in the garden is the Italian Anemone known as “Mistral Magenta”. Few other types even approach its color and rarely qualify for the description of genuine magenta, but a wine-colored alternative is the ‘Bordeaux’ variety with a dark center.
White Anemones
White is one of the most common colors for Anemones, and it’s anything but boring. Some white blooms are bright and pure, while others are mixed with hints of pink or purple to give the plant a soft watercolor-touched look.
This color symbolizes purity, innocence, and getting a fresh start. It’s also commonly used to memorialize a loved one that was lost.
There are many popular white varieties for the garden, but the ‘Honorine Jobert’ cultivar has both a long history and dark foliage that contrasts the bright blooms.
‘The Bride’, as the name suggests, is as white as a wedding gown and just as elegant.
‘Wild Swan’ Japanese Anemones are particularly eye-catching for their twisted white petals.
‘Mt. Everest’ is almost a cream color, adding warmth to the cool white tones more common for the Anemone flower.
Yellow and Gold Anemones
Yellow and gold are not common colors for Anemones, but there are a few varieties featuring these colors. Both are considered signs of wealth, good health, and happiness.
The Anemone ranunculoides variety known as ‘Orange’ isn’t actually orange, but rather a stunning gold.
Most Anemones with a yellow color are a type of Anemone ranunculoides because it’s known as the Yellow Wood Anemone.
Anemone Flower Colors FAQs:
What is the most common Anemone flower color?
Pink is the most common color, followed by white, for the Anemone flower.
What does the Anemone flower symbolize?
It is a symbol of lost love and mourning in some myths and of good luck in others.
What month do Anemone flowers bloom?
Anemones can bloom in the spring, summer, or fall, depending on the variety and species. Depending on the area you live in, they may bloom as early as March and as late as October.
Are Anemones good luck?
They’re considered a good luck symbol across both Europe and Asia.
How long do Anemone flowers last in a vase?
Certain types of Anemone can last for a week or longer in a vase filled with fresh water daily.
Anemone Colors – The Final Word
Make Anemones a part of your garden to appreciate their beauty and delicacy. There’s a color to match every landscaping design so you can complete the look you want while enjoying the low-maintenance beauty of these flowers. Choose a range of different colors to create a mixed look for a flower bed, along with mixing varieties that bloom in different seasons for months of beauty.
Andrew is the Editorial Director at Petal Republic. He holds a BSc degree in Plant Sciences and has trained professionally at leading floristry schools in London and Paris. In amongst overseeing a global editorial team, Andrew's a passionate content creator around all things flowers, floral design, gardening, and houseplants.
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