Canada Anemone – Simcoe County Master Gardener

Simcoe County Master Gardeners

Grow Natives!

PLANT PROFILE

COMMON NAME: Windflower

BINOMIAL: Anemone canadensis

Family	Ranunculaceae
Cdn Native Range	native across southern Canada including central Ontario
Natural habitat	moist meadows, streambanks, open woods, thickets, lake edges
Type	herbaceous perennial
Features	showy white flowers, deeply toothed foliage, spreads to form colonies
Growth habit	upright flowering stem above low basal foliage, spreads vigorously by rhizomes forming dense colonies
Mature height	30–60 cm (12–24 in)
Mature spread	60–120 cm (24–28+ in)
Life span	long lived perennial
Cdn Hardiness Zone	3–9
Growing conditions	full sun to part shade
Soil conditions	prefers moist areas, well drained loam, tolerates clay
Watering needs	requires consistent moisture, low drought tolerance
Fertilizer needs	low, compost or natural mulch sufficient
Tolerance	tolerates periodic flooding, some clay tolerance, moderately deer resistant
Maintenance rank	average (due to spreading habit)
Maintenance needs	monitor spread, divide or thin colonies if needed, cut back after flowering to encourage second bloom
Bloom	May-June, 5–7 cm (2–3 in) white flowers with yellow centre, not fragrant
Fruit	cluster of small dry achenes, not showy, spreads primarily by rhizomes
Pollinator support	early-season pollen for native bees and other pollinating insects
Environmental support	groundcover for soil stabilization, habitat for beneficial insects, useful in shoreline restoration plantings
Garden Use	moist meadow gardens, rain gardens, shoreline plantings, naturalized areas, woodland edges, erosion control slopes
Risks & Cautions	spreads aggressively in ideal conditions via rhizomes

References: Forest Gene Conservation Assn., https://fgca.net; Ontario Wildflowers, http://ontariowildflowers.com; Native Plant Trust Go Botany, https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org