As a fresh cut flower farm, we grow over 200 varieties of specialty cut flowers. We love highlighting crops outside the realm of what you usually see in your grociery store, which is usually roses, carnations, and chrysanthemums (although, if you haven't heard about our special mum collection, that's a whole other ball game that you need to check out!)
Anemones - Origin of name:
Many people associate the anemone’s name with the marine life that we are all so familiar with. However, it’s name traces back to the ancient Greek word “anemos”, which translates to “wind.” The flower earned its common moniker “windflower” from this origin! Interestingly, enough, this flower is not related to the sea, but rather in the same family as the ranunculus, which in turn is a close relative to the buttercups that we find in our lawns.
Spring’s Early Bloomers:
These beautiful spring bloomers are traditionally planted in the fall, at which time they resemble desiccated acorns. Winter snow and rain naturally soak these bulbs throughout the season, causing them to double in size and break dormancy. To replicate this natural process, flower growers replicate this by soaking the bulbs in water for 24 hours before planting in tunnels to help initiate growth.
As winter recedes, daffodils will bloom, and anemones will naturally follow. Though the foliage growth is much slower than some of its spring counterparts such as the ranunculus, the flower buds are much quicker to bloom and bloom time seems to span longer across the season compared to other spring flowers. As with other plants, temperature plays a pivotal role in the bloom cycle. Temperatures that average over 65 degrees signal anemones to slow down production and begin dormancy.
Anemone’s hidden tricks!
Anemones are known for having a foliage collar and a bloom that opens during the day and closes each night. As they reopen each day, the stem between the bloom and the collar grows, creating more space between the collar and the bloom. This unique characteristic allows growers to know the perfect harvest stage. At Harmony Harvest Farm, we allow the flower to open and close two days before harvesting.