ANEMONE 



THE BULB BOOK 



ANEMONE 



' mentioned the Double Nice, and the 



i Cardinal's Hat varieties, are particu- 

 larly fine, having large flowers in 

 many exquisite shades. The strain 

 known as "St Brigid " Anemones have 

 ] mostly semi-double blossoms, and are 

 . great improvements on the ordinary 

 I single forms, owing to their greater 

 I vigour and freedom of flower. The 

 ( colours may be white, crimson, cobalt- 

 blue, rose, pink, salmon, scarlet, 

 ' lavender, heliotrope, etc. One single- 

 flowered variety, called the " King of 

 Scarlets," has brilliant scarlet flowers 

 and forms a fiery picture in the 

 spring border or rockery. The 

 double - flowered " Chrysanthemum " 

 Anemones are a fine race, with flowers 

 resembling those of small incurved 

 Chrysanthemums, or China Asters, 

 displaying such colours as violet, 

 crimson, rose, carmine, lilac, etc. 



Tubers of both single and double 

 varieties may now be obtained from 

 nurserymen at a very reasonable 

 rate, either in separate colours or 

 mixed. It is generally better, how- 

 ever, to keep the varieties distinct 

 from each other. Planting may be 

 done either in spring from January 

 to March in cold soils, or early in the 

 autumn from September to October 

 in warm light soils. The soil if 

 possible should be a rich, deep, and 

 sandy loam, so that the tubers if left 

 in the ground during the winter shall 

 not be so likely to rot with the com- 

 bination of cold and moisture. In- 

 stead of planting tubers, seeds of the 

 best varieties may be obtained, and 

 from these it is possible to raise a 

 large number of plants in the course 

 of a year. The seeds should be sown 

 in June, or when fully ripe in a warm 

 sheltered bed in the open. The soil, 

 of course, should be broken up first 

 of all, and the surface should then be 

 trodden down firmly, and properly 

 levelled with the rake. Having 



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sown the seeds thinly and evenly 

 over the surface, cover them with 

 about a } in. of rich sandy com- 

 post, and tread in with the feet, 

 or beat down with the back of the 

 spade or piece of board, afterwards 

 finishing off with the back of the 

 rake, and giving a gentle watering 

 from a fine-rosed can, especially if 

 the soil is inclined to dryness. Until 

 the seeds germinate, which is gener- 

 ally about three weeks after sowing, the 

 seed-bed should be kept shaded with 

 a piece of canvas or mat, and always 

 kept in a moist but not sodden con- 

 dition. When the young plants 

 appear, they must have plenty of 

 sunshine, and should never be allowed 

 to get too dry ; otherwise their growth 

 is likely to be checked. If necessary 

 the young plants may be left to 

 flower in the seed-bed, or they may 

 be lifted in September and trans- 

 planted. In cold bleak localities, 

 however, transplanting is best done 

 in spring rather than in autumn. 



Enormous quantities of Poppy Ane- 

 mones find their way into the English 

 markets from the Eiviera every 

 spring. 



A. fulgens (A. hortensis ; A. 

 pavonina ; A. stellata), Scarlet Wind- 

 floiver. — This is a native of S. Europe, 

 about 1 ft. high, with bright green 

 three-lobed cut and toothed leaves. 

 The large, solitary flowers appear in 

 May ,'2 ins. or more across, of a brilliant 

 scarlet-crimson colour, sometimes with 

 a paler zone at the base around the jet- 

 black bunch of stamens in the centre. 

 A. fulgens major is a fine form, and 

 A.2^avonina (the Peacock Anemone) 

 is a double form. If cut early in the 

 morning or in the evening, the 

 blossoms last well in water for room 

 decoration. 



The Scarlet Windflower likes a rich, 

 deeply dug, loamy soil with a dash of 

 lime in it, and is suitable for the 



