Anemone nemorosa Westwell Pink

Anemone nemorosa 'Westwell Pink', a variety of Wood Anemone discovered in England growing in the wild groves of Westwell. Still relatively unknown, it stands out with its pretty little star-shaped flowers and their changing colours. White when they open, the flowers with numerous petals then turn a very bright pink, a particularly rich shade. They bloom in spring, dotting a carpet of dark green cut leaves that will slowly but surely spread in an undergrowth or shaded area.

Anemone nemorosa 'Westwell Pink' belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. It is a spontaneous cultivar derived from the Wood Anemone, its distribution extends throughout almost all of Europe, Western Asia, and Boreal America. This small and hardy perennial forms a cushion that will spread over time, its growth being slower than most varieties. It produces vertical stems that are 20 cm (8in) tall, flowering early in spring, from late March to mid-May. The small 3 cm (1in) diameter stars have numerous narrow, white petals that become increasingly intense pink, turning bright pink at the end of anthesis. Many yellow stamens emerge from the throat. The flower opens to the light and follows the direction of the sun, it closes in the evening or in case of rain, gracefully tilting to the side, it has a very long-lasting flowering. All the flowers are oriented in the same way, forming a particularly harmonious carpet. The rhizome of the Wood Anemone is brown, fleshy, and brittle, running just below the surface of the soil. It produces many leaves with three cut leaflets, a slightly bronze and slightly hairy green.

The Wood Anemone 'Westwell Pink' is ideal as a groundcover, in shaded areas and in moist soil. You can use it at the base of hedges, bushes, and deciduous trees. Pair it with botanical daffodils, forget-me-nots, and blue, violet, white, or pink blanda anemones, which will follow it in flowering and require the same growing conditions. In nature, the Wood Anemone develops and blooms in spring, when the trees are still leafless. It completes its vegetative cycle in summer, its leaves disappear, and it enters a period of dormancy. This is the most opportune time to plant it under a tree or at the base of hedges. It is not affected by the competition from the roots of trees and bushes. 

In temperate European zones, in forests, where its presence is spontaneous, it would be (along with lily of the valley) a good indicator species of the age and naturalness of the forest.

Anemone nemorosa is presented as a section of rhizome packaged in a compost bag.