Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Perennial · Ranunculaceae
Yellow wood anemone
Anemone ranunculoides
In other languages: Gele anemoon (Nederlands) · Anémone fausse-renoncule (Français)
Yellow wood anemone is a native spring flower of deciduous woods, wooded slopes and river valleys across much of Europe, including Belgium, where it grows mainly on fertile, chalky soil. From a creeping rhizome, little stems 10–15 cm tall appear from March to May, each with a ruff of three deeply cut leaves and one or two buttercup-yellow flowers. It closely resembles the white wood anemone, but is less common. After flowering it dies down in early summer. Gardeners value it because it slowly forms a yellow carpet of flowers under trees and shrubs, in a spot that becomes shady later in the year.
Caution: All parts are poisonous, as with most members of the buttercup family. The sap can irritate the skin and the plant can make you ill if eaten. Keep children, dogs, cats and grazing animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs away from it, and wear gloves when dividing it.
Light
Partial shade or shade
tolerates little sun
Moisture
Normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Loam or clay
neutral to chalky
Hardiness
Fully hardy
down to -35 °C
Size
0.15 m
tall, 0.3 m wide
Flowering
March–May
| 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
Yellow wood anemone: how do you recognise it?
- Habit
- Low, creeping plant 10–15 cm tall that slowly spreads into a carpet by its rhizome.
- Leaves
- A ruff of three hand-shaped, deeply cut leaves halfway up the stem; fresh green.
- Flower
- Buttercup yellow, 1.5–2 cm across, with 5–8 petals, usually one or two per stem, from March to May.
- Rhizome
- Thin, brown and creeping, just below the surface; it dries out quickly if exposed.
- Season
- A true spring plant: in June the leaves turn yellow and it dies down completely.
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: early bees, bumblebees and hoverflies find pollen on it.
- After a few years it forms a low, flowering carpet that covers the ground.
- Dies down in summer, so it does not compete with the summer plants in a shady border.
- Little work: once established it looks after itself.
Yellow wood anemone: where does it grow best?
- Partial or light shade under deciduous trees and shrubs: light in spring, shade in summer.
- Humus-rich, fertile loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
- Moderately moist, especially in spring; in summer it can be drier, once the leaves have died down.
- Plant 10–15 cm apart in a group: after a few years the plants grow together.
- Light
- Partial shade and shade
- Soil type
- Loam or clay
- Acidity
- Neutral or chalky
- Moisture
- Normal
- Size
- 0.15 m tall, 0.3 m wide
- Hardiness
- Hardy (to -35 °C)
Goes well with
- Wood anemone: Its white sister: together they make a white and yellow carpet.
- Hollowroot: Purple or white spikes at the same time and on the same chalky soil.
- Snowdrop: Flowers just before it, so spring starts early.
- Lungwort: Pinkish-blue flowers and spotted leaves that last through summer.
- Ferns: They fill the space when the anemone dies down in summer.
Maintenance
Yellow wood anemone: when and how to plant it?
Plant in March and September–October.
- Plant rhizomes in September–October, or pot-grown plants in March.
- Soak dry rhizomes overnight in lukewarm water: they are often dried out.
- Loosen the soil and mix in leaf mould.
- Lay the rhizomes flat, 3–5 cm deep, and cover them with loose, humus-rich soil.
- Keep 10–15 cm between them and plant in small groups.
- Water and spread a mulch of leaf mould or shredded leaves.
Care
- Watering
- Only in dry spells in spring, during growth and flowering.
- Feeding
- Not needed: a layer of leaf mould or fallen leaves in autumn is enough.
- Foliage
- Leave the dying leaves in place: the plant uses them to build up reserves.
- Weeding
- Keep the area free of grass and rampant plants. Do not hoe, as the rhizomes are shallow.
- Autumn leaves
- Leave fallen leaves from the trees: they are a natural mulch and food.
Tip: Plant it among ferns or hostas, which only really grow once it has finished flowering: the spot is yellow in spring and green in summer. Leave the autumn leaves from the trees; they are the best mulch.
Yellow wood anemone: when to prune it?
When: It does not need pruning. Let the leaves die back naturally after flowering.
How:
- There is no need to remove faded flowers; leave them for seed.
- Dead leaves usually disappear on their own; you can also remove them once they are fully brown.
- Wear gloves when handling the plant: the sap can irritate the skin.
Caution: Do not cut or mow the green leaves before they yellow naturally: it weakens the plant.
Propagation
- Division
- After flowering, when the leaves start to yellow in May–June, or in September: lift a piece of the carpet, split the rhizomes into pieces each with a bud and replant them elsewhere straight away.
- Seed
- Sow fresh seed as soon as it ripens in a pot of humus-rich compost left outdoors. It germinates slowly and seedlings take several years to flower.
Yellow wood anemone: how does it get through the winter?
Hardy to −35 °C.
- Fully hardy, to about −35 °C: no protection is needed.
- The rhizome overwinters in the soil; the first shoots appear in February–March.
- A layer of leaf mould or fallen leaves in autumn is all it needs, as on a woodland floor.
Diseases and pests
- No shoots: Dried-out rhizomes often fail to come up. Buy them fresh, soak them overnight and plant them at once, or choose pot-grown plants.
- Slugs: They eat young leaves and flower buds. Pick them off in the evening.
- Crowded out: Grass and vigorous ground cover grow over the carpet. Weed in good time and choose gentle neighbours.
- Few flowers: In dry, poor soil it stays small and flowers sparingly. Improve the soil with leaf mould and water in spring.
Through the year
- February: The first shoots appear.
- March: Flowering begins. Plant pot-grown plants.
- April: Full flower. Water in dry spells.
- May: End of flowering. Leave the foliage.
- June: The leaves turn yellow. Now is the time to divide.
- September: Plant or divide rhizomes.
- October: Plant rhizomes. Leave fallen leaves in place.
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?
- With the white wood anemone it sometimes forms a natural hybrid with pale yellow flowers, Anemone × lipsiensis.
- The species name ranunculoides means ‘resembling a buttercup’, after the yellow flowers.
- It is regarded as an ancient woodland plant: it spreads very slowly and grows mainly in woods that have existed for a very long time.