This lovely native flower blooms for a long period at the end of spring into summer. Its five-petaled white flowers rise on delicate stalks and might remind you of strawberry flowers. After the flowers turn to seed, their leaves stay green for months. Plant Canada Anemones in rich soil, and they’ll spread quickly—so they’re not ideal for small gardens. These plants don’t produce nectar, only pollen, which makes them popular with many pollinators. Scroll on for planting tips.
Dig Deeper
Explore the history, types, and where to plant native Canada Anemone
Table of Contents
What are the benefits of planting Canada Anemone?
Canada Anemone—like all other native flowers—has grown in its native range for thousands of years. Native plants like this one offer beauty, resiliency, and wildlife support for our gardens.
Benefits of planting Canada Anemone include:
- Fuss-free gardening. After the first year of getting established, Canadian Anemones thrive with rain.
- Beauty + wildlife support. The pollinators of North America have evolved side by side with Canada Anemone; they rely on this native flower for food.
- Beginner-friendly planting. Canada Anemones grow in a wide range of sunlight (full sun to part sun) and a wide range of soil (sandy, loamy, even a little bit of clay.)
Canada Anemones are pollinator favorites
Some flowers provide both pollen and nectar, and some flowers provide just pollen. Canada Anemone is one of the latter. Its bloom time in May/June is crucial for pollinators as they emerge from their nests and start to reproduce.
Are anemones native to North America?
There are about 10-12 anemone species that are native to North America, including Anemone Canadensis, profiled here. Other North American native anemones include A. quinquefolia (Wood Anemone) and A. Patens (Pasqueflower or Prairie Crocus).
Worldwide, there are around 200 species of anemone. If you’re looking at an anemone blooming in the fall, it’s probably one of the Asian anemones.
Non-native anemones = fall blooming
Some anemones and cultivars are native to Asia. Here is their difference at a glance:
Canada Anemone
Anemone canadensis
Five-petaled white flowers emerge in the late spring into early summer. Each stalk has only one flower. Sometimes also called Round-leaf Thimbleweed or Meadow Anemone. Native to North America—plant away, native plant lovers!
Japanese anemones
Anemone hupehensis
Asian anemones bloom in the fall and often have multiple flowers on a single stalk. Species include A. hupehensis and quite a few hybrid cultivars. The Chicago Botanic Garden has a very thorough fall-blooming anemone overview.
Is Canada Anemone aggressive?
If you’ve never heard the term “aggressive” applied to a plant before, you imagine tiny green boxing gloves or shouting flowers. In gardening, the term “aggressive” is used to identify plants that are very good at spreading when grown in a favorable environment.
Canada Anemones will spread quickly when planted in its favored area: one with rich, humus-rich soil. (Humus is soil that is rich with decomposing leaves and/or organic matter.) Its rhizome roots spread out to expand, sending shoots and new plants upward.
Aggressive plants are not always “bad”
Plants that quickly spread sometimes get a bad reputation, but it’s more complicated than that. If you have a large area, “aggressive” plants like Canada Anemone, Bee Balm, Blue Mistflower, and Obedient Plants can quickly cover a vast expanse. On the other hand, if you have a small garden, aggressive plants can push out other less aggressive plants to make room for themselves. Aggressive plants can also sometimes spread to other locations in the garden through their rhizome roots or by seed dispersal.
To keep Canada Anemone in check:
- Dig up and divide clumps of flowers in the fall. Plant these clumps elsewhere in your garden or give them away to friends and neighbors. Normally, this division is done after the second or third year and as needed after that.
- Cut off flowers after bloom to prevent seeds from forming and spreading.
Where is Canada Anemone native?
Don’t be fooled by the common name inclusion of ‘Canada’—Canada Anemones are found throughout most of North America. 60% of Americans and most Canadians can happily plant this flower.
How can I find Canada Anemone for my garden?
We’re not going to lie: finding native plants is not as easy as it should be. To make finding this plant easier, here are four sourcing ideas:
Where can I find seeds and plants?
Finding native plants can be challenging (we partly blame Marie Antoinette.) To make it easier, we’ve assembled four sourcing ideas.
Native Plant Nurseries
Our list of native nurseries makes finding one a breeze
Online Native Plant Sellers
We've included 100+ online resources to help
Society Plant Sales
Every state has a native plant society; find yours
Online Communities
Local Facebook groups are a great plant source
What are good pairings for Canada Anemone?
Canada Anemones are great paired with other natives that like the same sunshine, soil, and normally moist environment. Some great pairings include:
And that concludes our love letter to Canada Anemone! These native flowers bloom in the late spring and early summer, offering lots of pollen for early pollinators. They can quickly spread in areas with humus-rich soil, making them great for larger expanses but challenging for smaller gardens. They thrive in full sun to part sun, making them great for beginner gardeners. Happy planting!
Explore native plants by region
Sources
- USDA Plants Database, Canada Anemone.
- Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, Anemone Canadensis (Canadian Anemone) | Native Plants of North America.
- Holm, Heather, “Pollinators of Native Plants.” Pollination Press (2014). 178-181.
- Rudy, Mark R., Jenny Lee, and Chicago Botanic Garden. “Fall-blooming Anemones.” Plant Evaluation Notes, 2004. (PDF).
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Plants of the World Online. “Anemone L. |Kew Science.”
- The Prairie Promoter, Volume 36, Number 2, Summer 2023. (PDF).
- Parker, Rosemary. Finger Lakes Native Plant Society, “This Ugly Duckling is Not a Swan: Anemone spp.” (October, 2009).
- Native Plant Trust, “Anemone Virginiana (Tall Anemone, Tall Windflower): Go Botany.”
- New Moon Nursery, Anemone Virginiana.