Photo: Petr Filippov, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Perennial · Ranunculaceae

Wood anemone

Anemone nemorosa

In other languages: Bosanemoon (Nederlands) · Anémone des bois (Français)

The wood anemone is a native spring flower of deciduous woodland in Belgium and much of Europe. From March to May it forms carpets of finely divided leaves dotted with small, white, starry flowers, often flushed pink on the back, with a centre of yellow stamens. It grows and flowers before the trees come into leaf and dies back again in June: for the rest of the year it rests underground as thin, brown rhizomes. Gardeners love it as a natural ground cover under trees and shrubs, where little else flowers. Well-known varieties are ‘Robinsoniana’ (pale blue) and ‘Vestal’ (white, with a double centre).

Caution: Poisonous. All parts contain a substance that irritates the stomach and gut if eaten; the sap can also irritate the skin. Keep young children and pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs away, and wear gloves when moving it if you have sensitive skin.

Updated on 10 October 2026

Light
Partial shade or shade
tolerates little sun
Moisture
Normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Sand, loam or clay
any pH
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -35 °C
Size
0.15 m
tall, 0.3 m wide
Flowering
March–May

Key facts
Height	0.15 m
Native to Belgium	Yes
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees
Poisonous to people and pets	Yes, take care with children and pets
Flowering	March–May

Identify

Wood anemone: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Low carpet 10–15 cm tall; one plant slowly spreads to 30 cm and more.
Leaves: A ruff of three deeply divided leaves below the flower; the rhizome also produces single leaves. Everything dies back in June.
Flower: One flower per stem, 2–4 cm across, with 6–8 petal-like tepals and yellow stamens. From March to May.
Colour: White, often flushed pink or purple on the back; varieties in pale blue or lilac.
Rhizome: Thin, brown, creeping rhizomes just below the surface that look like little twigs.

Flowering: March–May · Plants: March and September–October

In your garden

Why grow it?

One of the first flowers under trees and shrubs, from March to May.
Native, and an early source of pollen for bees and hoverflies.
Over the years it forms a white carpet that covers the ground in spring.
No work: no pruning, no feeding, and in summer it simply disappears.
Ideal for a wildlife garden or a shady corner under deciduous trees.

Wood anemone: where does it grow best?

Part shade to shade, preferably under deciduous trees and shrubs: light in spring, shade in summer.
Humus-rich soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky. A layer of leaf litter is ideal.
Normally moist: the soil must not dry out in spring. It dislikes waterlogged soil and the bone-dry ground under conifers.
Plant the rhizomes 10–15 cm apart, in groups; they will grow together into a carpet.

Light: Partial shade and shade
Soil type: Sand, loam or clay
Acidity: Not fussy
Moisture: Normal
Size: 0.15 m tall, 0.3 m wide
Hardiness: Hardy (to -35 °C)

Goes well with

Snowdrop: Flowers just before the wood anemone, in the same spot under trees.
Lungwort: Pink and blue flowers in the same spring, also in shade.
Bluebell: Blue spikes in April–May that take over from the white carpet.
Ferns: Unfurl as the anemone dies back and fill the gap in summer.
Hosta: Large leaves that cover the empty spot in summer.

Maintenance

Wood anemone: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March and September–October.

Plant bare rhizomes in September–October, or potted plants in March, when they are in leaf.
Soak dried rhizomes overnight in lukewarm water before planting.
Lay them flat, 3–5 cm deep, in loose, humus-rich soil.
Leave 10–15 cm between the pieces and plant in groups of ten or more.
Water and cover the soil with leaf mould or a layer of fallen leaves.
Mark the spot so that you do not dig into it by mistake in summer.

Care

Water: Only in a dry spring; in summer it is not needed.
Feeding: Not needed. A layer of leaf mould in autumn is enough.
Leaf litter: Leave fallen leaves in autumn: they feed the soil and protect the rhizomes.
Weeding: Weed by hand, not with a hoe: the rhizomes lie just below the surface.
Dying back: Let the foliage die back by itself in June; do not mow or rake it while it is green.

Tip: Simply leave fallen leaves where they are and never hoe where it grows: year by year it will slowly spread into a white spring carpet.

Wood anemone: when to prune it?

When: No pruning needed. The foliage dies back by itself in June and disappears.

How:

Leave the leaves after flowering until they turn yellow by themselves: this lets the rhizome store food for next year.
Do not cut or mow the foliage, even if it looks a little untidy.
In autumn, leave the fallen leaves as a natural mulch.

Caution: Do not hoe or rake where it grows: you would damage the shallow rhizomes.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division: After flowering, in April–May, lift a small clump with its soil from a large carpet and replant it elsewhere straight away. Water well.
Rhizomes: In September, while it is dormant: dig up a small patch, break the rhizomes into pieces of 2–3 cm with a bud and replant them 3–5 cm deep.

Wood anemone: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −35 °C.

Fully hardy, to about −35 °C: no protection needed.
From June until spring it rests underground; the first leaves appear in February–March.
It is less suited to pots; keep a pot in a cool spot and never let the soil dry out completely.

Diseases and pests

Fails to come up: Dried rhizomes sold in packets often fail to take. Soak them before planting or buy potted plants in March.
Disappears in June: Not a problem: after flowering it normally dies back for its summer rest. Mark the spot and plant later-flowering shade plants next to it.
Few flowers or dwindling: Too dark (under evergreen shrubs or conifers), too dry in spring or too much competition from lawn or vigorous spreaders. Choose a lighter spot under deciduous trees.
Damaged rhizomes: Caused by hoeing, raking or digging. Weed by hand and do not dig under the trees where it grows.

Through the year

February: First leaves appear. Leave the layer of leaf litter.
March: Flowering starts. Plant potted plants.
April: Full flower. Water in a dry spring.
May: Last flowers. Divide after flowering.
June: The foliage dies back. Leave it; mark the spot.
September: Plant or divide rhizomes.
October: Plant. Leave fallen leaves.
November: Leaf mould or fallen leaves as mulch.

Use

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of these spring flowers are poisonous, especially when fresh: when the plant is damaged it releases protoanemonin, an acrid compound also found in buttercups, which causes a burning feeling in the mouth, vomiting and stomach ache, and redness and small blisters on the skin. In spring, do not pick leaves of wood anemone, yellow wood anemone, hepatica or pasqueflower as greens for rabbits or guinea pigs: they can become seriously ill. Hepatica and pasqueflower were once used as remedies; do not make teas or preparations from them yourself. Keep young children, dogs and cats away, do not let children put the flowers in their mouths, and wear gloves when moving and dividing. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees: Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

You and this species

Did you know?

The wood anemone spreads so slowly that a large carpet indicates a very old wood. It is therefore regarded as an ancient woodland indicator.
The flowers close in the evening and in rain, and then bow their heads.
It grows and flowers in the short window before the trees come into leaf. By June it has stored enough food in its rhizome and dies back.

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