Anemone nemorosa x ranunculoides

Anemone x lipsiensis is a hybrid wood anemone, whose spring flowering, with small light yellow star-shaped flowers, is ideal for adding a bright touch to shaded areas of the garden. This hardy little plant from cool climates grows on its own, in dense cushions, and eventually forms beautiful groundcover in damp understory. Sometimes considered a bit too exuberant, it is better to plant it in a somewhat wild area of the garden, sometimes difficult to access, where more fragile and sophisticated plants do not belong.

Anemone x lipsiensis belongs to the buttercup family. This natural hybrid between Anemone nemorosa and A. ranunculoides is native to Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Austria. This rhizomatous plant forms a beautiful cushion of 12 to 15 cm (5 to 6in) in height, and spreads over 40 cm (16in) and more. It produces non-branched vertical stems in spring, in April-May, bearing a single flower, 2 cm (1in) in diameter. The flower has 6 to 8 oval and tapered tepals (sepal-shaped petals), butter yellow in colour. The throat is adorned with numerous yellow stamens. The rhizome of Anemone x lipsiensis is brown, fleshy, and brittle, growing only 3 centimetres (1 inch) per year. It runs just below the surface of the soil. It produces numerous basal leaves, short-petioled, divided into three lanceolate leaflets, fairly dark green, with a lobed edge. The foliage disappears in summer and reappears in spring. The flower does not occupy the same position year after year, it moves along its rhizome.

Anemone x lipsiensis is ideal as groundcover, in shaded areas in consistently moist soil. You can use it at the base of hedges, shrubs, and deciduous trees, but also in shaded borders. Pair it with primroses, botanical narcissus, forget-me-nots, ferns, hostas, and hellebores that will accompany its flowering and require the same growing conditions. In nature, the Wood Anemone develops and blooms in spring, when trees are still leafless. It completes its vegetative cycle in summer when its leaves disappear, which corresponds to its dormancy period. This is the most suitable time to plant it under a tree or the base of hedges. It is not affected by the competition from the roots of trees and shrubs but dislikes drought.