The source of the pink flush
In Anemone nemorosa, pink is usually a tint on the reverse of the petal-like segments, not a separate colour. The flowers can be washed with pink or lilac-pink on the outside and look pale when fully open. Cultivated forms with a stronger pink or lavender flush exist, but they are specialist plants and can be hard to find.
Easier pink anemones
If you want a pink anemone for an Australian garden, other species give better results.
- Japanese anemone has tall stems with pink saucers from late summer into autumn, and thrives in part shade.
- The florist's anemone, Anemone coronaria, is available in pink cut flowers during the cooler months.
- Both are better able to handle warmer districts than wood anemone.
A caution: Japanese anemones spread by suckers, so give them room, and check your state's weed information if your garden adjoins bushland.
Growing the woodland pink
Choose a cool, shady, humus-rich bed under deciduous trees. Water in winter and spring when the plant is active, then let it rest when it dies down in summer. Plants thrive in Tasmania and the cold highlands, but not in the humid north or on hot, dry plains.
Wear gloves when dividing
Wood anemone is mildly toxic, like other buttercup-family plants, so wear gloves if you divide the rhizomes. People can ring the Poisons Information Line on 13 11 26, and pets should see a vet.
