In March 2013, I bought a Pulmonaria angustifolia Blaues Meer, or Blue Cowslip. It's supposed to be able to survive harsh winters but unfortunately, my plant has disappeared completely.
Now that the Pulmonaria has vanished, there's a flowering gap in my garden so I paid a visit to a nearby garden centre and made a purchase.
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This is Anemone Harmony Pearl. I've never grown Anemones before but they're lovely plants with such pretty flowers. When I bought the plant, its first flower was just beginning to open.
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It's a nice size plant for the cost, just £1.50, and it has some healthy foliage.
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As you can see, there's more buds too so it should provide some much welcome colour.
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Since purchasing the plant, the first flower has opened up.
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It's now blooming fully. It's such a gorgeous colour.
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Close up, this flower is amazing.
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I'm hoping that this plant lasts longer than the pulmonaria did.
Lovely colour, they have such pretty flowers. I am following your tip, we will get March's plant when we are away this weekend.
ReplyDeleteI love the colour, it almost looks as though it's been painted. I shall look forward to seeing what plant you choose for March.
DeleteThat's nice, and a bargain. They're a plant that I've never grown either. Flighty xx
ReplyDeleteThe information states that it will flower in spring, through summer and in to autumn so it sounds as though it will give me plenty of colour for months on end, I hope so.
DeleteWhat a shame that pulmonary died - I thought they were as tough as old boots! Still, you have got a lovely replacement plant , as the flowers of your anemone are so delicate. I love the colour. Also - what a bargain !
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame about the pulmonaria, it was probably my most expensive purchase too as I bought a fairly established plant so I was a little disappointed with it. Never mind, it's given me a good excuse to spend again this month.
DeleteHi Jo, That's fabulous. I love the colour. I grew some anemone coronaria from corms last year. They're not reliably perennial in my garden as we have high rainfall. If it's the same type of anemone I'd dig plenty of grit into the planting area. Mine do best in my raised beds which have better drainage. Growing them in pots could work well. Some of my pulmonaria have 'disappeared' too and I'm now left with their hybrid offspring and the purpley-pink flowers instead of whites and blues. Oh well! ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, it's the same type. I haven't planted it in the ground yet, I thought I might grow it on a bit in a larger pot first, but I shall make sure that I follow your advice and dig in plenty of grit. What a shame about the pulmonaria, I thought they were meant to be fairly reliable at coming through winter.
DeleteThat anemone is a gorgeous colour, very pretty. I've never grown any of these either :o)
ReplyDeleteIt's such a beautiful colour. I'm looking forward to the rest of the buds opening out now.
DeleteHi Jo,
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. I had the same pulmonaria in my garden and it also has disappeared. My ground is particularly suited to pulmonaria, so it would appear this plant, perhaps, is not as hardy as they like to think.
Love the Anemone. I grow them in my mothers garden. They are so pretty and very reliable (at least that is what I have found)
Don't grow them in my garden as the rabbits tend to crop them:(
Hope yours stays around for a good few years :)
Interesting that you lost the same pulmonaria too. Maybe I should try with a different variety as they're lovely plants and the bees love them. I can imagine anemones being a favourite of rabbits, they've got a feathery foliage like carrots and we know what they think of them.
DeleteI was just thinking how beautiful that is. And how I must get one too. And then I read the comment above about rabbits. Oh well. I shall admire yours from afar. Very lovely it is too.
ReplyDeleteI consider myself very lucky that I don't have pesky rabbits to deal with in my garden. I was going to suggest having raised planters but I'm sure Ptolemy would still manage to cause havoc with them.
DeleteI have just ordered Pulmonaria Blue Ensign I hope it doesn't go the same way as your Blaues Meer. I love anemones, mine are just coming out in bloom now, very deep blue, I bought the corms from Lidl over three years ago, soaked them for about 12 hours and planted them into a tub that does not get disturbed, this is the third year they have bloomed. I don't think they would survive in the garden as it's always getting new things added so the corms would get disturbed or ruined.
ReplyDeleteI shall keep my fingers crossed that your Blue Ensign lasts longer than my Blaues Meer did. I do like pulmonaria so I may give a different variety a try. How lovely that your anemones have lasted this long, containers are definitely the way to go if the ground gets disturbed, it's definitely working in this instance.
DeleteI planted some anemones last year and they are doing well, only one has produced a flower so far, it is white and just to be annoying is facing the fence.
ReplyDeleteMy sunflowers usually face the wrong way if I plant them in the garden, our next door neighbours get to enjoy them rather than us. Glad to hear that your anemones are doing well, I bet white ones are pretty.
DeleteIt's beautiful, so very striking. I had no idea anemones flowered now, how lovely to have such an exotic looking flower this early in the year.
ReplyDeleteI'm really pleased with it and can't think why I haven't grown them before now. I'm so pleased with my colour choice too.
DeleteLast year at Harlow Carr the anemones seemed to flower for ages.
ReplyDeleteI've read that they're long flowering plants. I like things which work hard and keep going for a long time.
DeleteI think it's been an odd year for pulmonaria as I've always had loads of big clumps of it but this spring I only have 2 straggly bits. The anemone is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the pulmonaria only flowered in its first year, it was missing in action last year, so it was very short lived. I might try a different variety as I really like it.
DeleteGeoff Hamilton ....... always spoke such sense, greatly missed.
ReplyDeleteLove the Anemone, beautiful colour.
All the best Jan
Very true, I think many gardeners miss him. I think the anemone is a wonderful colour, I'm very pleased with it.
DeleteWow - that is a gorgeous flower! And what a wonderful bit of advice - I'm definitely going to make a note of that for when I decide to tackle my perennial borders.
ReplyDeleteGeoff Hamilton gave some great advice, he's very sorely missed. I'm really pleased with this month's purchase, I might even add a different coloured one to my shopping basket when I next visit the garden centre.
DeleteI really love anemone's, as you say, yours is gorgeous, such a beautiful colour.xxx
ReplyDeleteThere was a choice of colours, I'm pleased I went for this one, I really like it. I may be tempted to buy more when I visit the garden centre again.
DeleteOh such a pretty variety - a welcome addition to your garden indeed x
ReplyDeleteIt's a very welcome addition to the garden, it will definitely add a splash of colour, and it's so pretty too.
DeleteThat Anemone is really nice - and you have got some good photos of it (I love the close-up of course!). I have had the opposite experience with Pulmonaria. It entered my garden as a volunteer, and has spread. I now have 3 or 4 plants in various places.
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased with the anemone and my photos of it. I think it must be the variety of pulmonaria which isn't as hardy as some others, I think I shall try a different type and hope it does better.
DeleteShames you lost your other plant, but this one is my favorite colour, beautiful addition to your garden and very reasonsable price xcx
ReplyDeleteI'm very pleased with it, and it was a bargain.
DeleteYour March replacement has exquisite markings Jo. I hope that the anemone fares better than your pulmonaria. I grow a few of the latter and they usually thrive. I've never grown 'Blaues Meer' though. Maybe it could just be a not particularly vigorous variety or maybe that very wet winter of 2013/2014 could have been responsible for its demise?
ReplyDeleteI'm really pleased with this anemone, it's such a pretty colour. I always thought that pulmonaria was fairly bomb proof so I'm sure it must be the variety which isn't quite so hardy, I shall try again with a different one.
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