Anemone

A low, spreading spring tuber that forms carpets of finely cut, ferny foliage studded with many-petalled, daisy-like flowers in blue, white, or pink in early spring; the Grecian windflower. The blooms open flat in sun and close at night and in dull weather. Native to southeastern Europe, Türkiye, and the Caucasus (POWO, Kew), it is an easy, gently naturalizing carpeter for the front of a border or under deciduous shrubs in dappled shade. Plant the hard, knobbly tubers shallowly in fall after soaking them overnight — they look dead but are not. Like other anemones it is toxic if eaten and its sap (protoanemonin) can irritate skin, so wear gloves when handling the tubers.

A graceful, late-season garden perennial grown for its airy sprays of pink or white saucer-shaped flowers held on tall, wiry stems above a low mound of dark, divided leaves. A horticultural hybrid of East Asian parentage, it blooms from late summer into autumn when most perennials are finished, lighting up part-shaded borders and woodland edges. It wants cool, consistently moist soil and spreads steadily by underground runners, so it rewards a roomy, evenly-watered spot rather than a hot, dry one.