Anemone nemorosa ‘Donnington'

Wood Anemone Ranunculaceae

Our own selection of the Wood Anemone, introduced by Edulis from the village of Donnington, near Newbury, Berkshire. The flowers may be the familiar clean white of the species, but the foliage is anything but ordinary: particularly dark green leaves provide a striking contrast to the flowers, making this a much more interesting plant when not in bloom as well as when it is. 

Discovered locally and brought into cultivation by Edulis, ‘Donnington’ is a good example of why it pays to look closely at even the commonest British woodland plants. Anemone nemorosa is a spring ephemeral, flowering before the deciduous canopy closes and then retreating underground for the summer. It spreads gradually by slender rhizomes, eventually making the sort of naturalistic colony that looks as though it has been there forever — which, in the case of its wild relatives, is often rather the point.

Give it moist, humus-rich soil in partial or deciduous shade, with good spring light and protection from prolonged summer drought. It is excellent beneath deciduous trees, amongst shrubs or allowed to naturalise through a woodland planting. 

H6 –15 to –20°C
Height: 15 cm
Spread: 30–50 cm
Flowers: March–April
Soil: Moist, humus-rich and well drained
Aspect: Partial or deciduous shade
Foliage: Particularly dark green
Origin: Selected by Edulis, Donnington, Newbury, Berkshire
Introduction: Edulis selection; first offered by us as a named form