Anemone 'Royal Blue'

Anemone 'Royal Blue' is a small spring marvel with the sort of colour that makes shady corners feel suddenly considered. This dwarf, rhizomatous wood anemone forms a neat carpet of dark green, palmate leaves, each divided into three lobes and fresh enough to flatter almost anything planted nearby. From March to May, Anemone nemorosa 'Royal Blue' lifts lavender-blue flowers above the foliage, each one centred with a neat yellow eye. The effect is cool, delicate and quietly painterly, like a wash of watercolour beneath leafless shrubs before the canopy closes.

Despite its refined appearance, Anemone 'Royal Blue' is pleasingly natural in habit, spreading by rhizomes to make gentle colonies where it is happy. It suits woodland borders, the front of shaded beds and informal planting beneath deciduous trees, where spring light reaches the soil before summer shade settles in. After flowering, Anemone 'Royal Blue' slips into dormancy, leaving no fuss behind until growth begins again in late autumn. Plant it in humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil and allow it to weave itself among early bulbs and hellebores. Anemone nemorosa 'Royal Blue' may be modest in size, but its spring performance is anything but forgettable.