Written by Rona Wheeldon
March 26, 2015
This month, we're going to take a look at a very popular flower, the anemone. They're in abundance at the Market at the moment and really are an enchanting bloom.
Just how stunning are these pink Italian ranunculus at DG Wholesale Flowers? Read on to discover more…
Background
From the Ranunculaceae family, the name anemone comes from the Greek 'anemos' meaning wind and 'mone' meaning habitation, indicating the sort of area in which a lot of these species grew. This explains its common name, windflower.
As cut flowers, Anemone coronaria is the most popular. With dark velvety centres, they have layers of delicate papery petals which are either white, red, blue, blush, pale pink, cerise pink or burgundy/black. They have a whorl, or collar, of lacy foliage just under the flower heads and their stems are hollow.
The anemone peak season is usually from November through to April. And they’re grown in Italy and Israel.
Types
BRITISH FLOWERS
British anemones are currently available at Pratley. They're short stemmed and are sold in mixed bunches by the box. These particular ones come from Cornwall and you can buy them from February through to May.
You can also find British indoor anemones at Pratley, which have slightly longer stems. They're available all year round and usually come in a couple of times a week.
WORLD FLOWERS
Single Colour
Anemones at Nine Elms are generally sold by colour as opposed to variety name. You'll find a lovely array of different hues and here are some examples.
White
Blush
Red
Cerise Pink
Blue
Burgundy/Black
Mixed Colours
You'll also find that some wholesalers sell bunches of 50 stems in mixed colours. These particular ones are from Italy.
Dusted Anemones
This is a new line called 'Dusted Anemones' from San Remo and they're available from Dennis Edwards Flowers. Perfect to add a pop of colour to events and bar mitzvahs!
General Advice
British anemones are sold in boxes, whilst imported anemones come in bunches of 50 stems.
It's best to buy them when the petals are closed. If you're using them for a wedding or event and finding that they're taking a little while to open, cut the stems, place them in lukewarm water and put them in a warm room. Once they're in full bloom, they're known to open during the day and close again at night.
Anemones have incredibly delicate petals that are easily bruised or torn and therefore it's best to be gentle in handling them. They're thirsty flowers, so remember to keep them topped up with water. And be aware that they continue to grow once they've been cut. So, you may like to allow for this when you're arranging them with other flowers.
David at DG Wholesale Flowers says: "Italian anemones are the best, in my opinion. Their flower heads tend to be twice the size of the anemones, which are grown in Israel and come through Holland. Some of the Italian anemones even look like poppies!"
Ronny at Bloomfield says: "Israeli anemones are cheaper than Italian. They're generally smaller headed and have shorter stems." And here's his colleague Leigh with a stunning cerise pink variety…
Graeme at Zest Flowers says: "At this time of year, anemones direct from Italy come in Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Deliveries from Holland come in most days and these anemones will have been grown in Italy and Israel."
Design Inspiration
Anemones are perfect for wedding flower designs. For example, bridal bouquets, buttonholes and tablecentres. And they also look wonderful in hand-tieds and vase arrangements.
Here are some examples of beautiful floral designs featuring anemones.
(Source: Fairy Nuff Flowers)
(Source: Nikki Tibbles|Wild at Heart)
(Source: Rob Van Helden)
(Source: McQueens)
(Source: By Appointment Only Design)
(Source: Blue Sky Flowers)
Your Designs
We'd love to see photos of designs you've made using anemones from New Covent Garden Flower Market. Simply send an email to info@cgma.co.uk, stating your company name and website address. Or if you prefer, you could post your photo on Twitter and copy us in, by including @MarketFlowers in your tweet. We'll then upload your photos into this section.
(Source:Bloom of the Block)
(Source: Sophie Townsend)
I hope you've enjoyed reading this month's Product Profile and seeing the beautiful selection of anemones available!
Please do ask away below if you have any questions or would like to make any general comments. As always, we'd love to hear from you.
P.S. Did you know that Anemone blanda plants are sometimes available at the Market? With violet blue petals, they're great for ground cover. And you can usually find them at Evergreen in February.
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