Rue anemone, Anemonella thalictroides

Before Humber  Nursery closed for good in the fall of 2019, they had three short benches dedicated to native plants hidden in a back corner. Unless you went out of your way to search for natives, or somehow managed to wander inadvertently into this section, this modest collection might easily escape your notice. 

I've long been a fan of native plants. Every spring I'd make a foray into this less-travelled part of Humber's perennial greenhouse. One of the purchases I made was this little charmer. 

Fast forward to the present when I wanted to do a post on this delicate little plant. Darned if I could find the plant tag or remember its Latin name! Down a rabbit hole of research I fell! Turns out there are a number of similar-looking Anemones. I knew for a fact that it wasn't Anemone canadensis (a very aggressive plant that I also grow in my garden). I was also certain it wasn't Anemone Nemorosa (which is native to Europe and has pointed leaves). Maddeningly enough, the flower looks a lot like another native, Anemone Quinquefolia, but if you look closer, the leaves aren't as deeply lobed (compare Anemones here). Frustrated, I began to look back through my own blog posts and there I finally found it: Rue Anemone, Anemonella thalictroides. 

Anemonella thalictroides is native to the eastern part of North America. It's a spring "ephemeral" which is a plant that awakes, leafs-out, blooms and sets seed all before the heat of summer begins to settle in. Then they go dormant until the following spring. 

Rue anemone has tiny white flowers and bright-green leaves.  Like so many spring ephemerals, this plant likes the dappled shade of deciduous trees and rich, loamy soil that is slightly moist. Anemonella thalictroides bloom for a period of about six weeks and then goes dormant, especially if the areas where it is planted is hot and dry.

Anemonella thalictroides first emerging at the end of April.

If I haven't convinced you it's worth growing, here's a list of some of its best attributes:

• It thrives where many others struggle (under trees in part-shade/shade). 

• While it prefers moist soil in spring, it will tolerate dry conditions when dormant in the summer.

• When the foliage first emerges, the leaves are pinkish-lavender. They age to greenish-tan and finally become bright green. 

• When fully open, the foliage is delicate and fern-like. 

• Unopened flower buds look like tiny pearls. The blooms are pale pink on opening and fade to white.

• The flowers are an early source of nectar and pollen for bees and other insects.

Top row left to right: Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart') , Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) and Brunnera macrophylla variegata

Bottom row left to right: Daffodils, Pulmonaria and Merry Bells (Uvularia grandiflora)

Companions

This native is perfectly at home with other woodland plants such as ferns. Other natives you might pair it with are; Trout Lily, Erythronium americanum, Dutchman's Breeches, Dicentra cucullaria, Shooting Star, Dodecatheon pulchellum and Trilliums. You might also consider using daffodils, Bleeding Heart, Brunnera and Pulmonaria with this Anemone.

Plant type: Herbaceous perennial

Height: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches)

Spread: 7-15 cm ( 3-6 inches)

Flower: Tiny white flowers

Bloom period: Early spring

Leaf: Three-lobed green leaves (that resemble Meadow Rue, Thalictrum)

Light: Part to full shade

Soil: Moist, humus-rich, slightly acidic well-drained soil

Move: Divide in summer when leaves begin to fade

Problems: None

USDA Zones: 4-8

Yellow Wax Bells for Shade

Soft, butter-yellow flowers in early September are a great reason to grow Yellow Wax Bells, Kirengeshoma palmata.

Initially, the flowers look a little like clusters of fat, round yellow berries. As they mature, the blooms elongate into a tubular, almost bell-like shape (hence the common name). Once they are spent, the flowers are replaced with curious-looking, three-horned, brownish-green seed pods.

This woodland perennial, native to the mountains of Japan and Korea, has stiff, upright stems and the round shape and proportions of a small shrub (fairly similar in size and shape to a common Spirea).

Yellow Wax Bells, Kirengeshoma palmata is a great foliage plant for moist, part-shade. It has pendulous butter-yellow flowers and medium green foliage that is shaped like a maple leaf. Height: 90-120 cm (35-47 inches), Spread: 75-90 cm (29-35 inches). USDA zones: 5-8.

The attractive foliage is yet another reason to grow this plant. The large, medium-green leaves are coarsely toothed and deeply lobed. Wax bells are members of the Hydrangeaceae family, so not surprisingly, the foliage closely resembles that of an Oakleaf hydrangea.

As you can see from my photo, this plant is not immune to insect damage. Slugs and snails can be an issue.

One other issue with regard to the foliage is the danger of a sudden and unexpected dip in the temperature in the early spring. The emerging leaves can be blackened by a surprise frost. If this happens, you can cut the foliage back to the ground and your Wax Bells will recover. I prefer to cover my plant at night if there is a frost warning.

The heavy blooms of this perennial hang down making it advantageous to plant Wax Bells where they can be viewed on an upward angle. This is a lesson I learned the hard way! Originally I had them planted behind some shorter perennials and the flowers were entirely lost from view. So this spring, I moved my Wax Bells to a new hillside location where they overlook what will be a small waterfall and stream in the very near future.

In terms of light, my Wax Bells are planted on the outer edge of a tree canopy. They get a little sun in the morning and then they are in bright shade for the remainder of the day.

To make Yellow Wax Bells truly happy, you really need moist, rich soil. If your growing conditions are on the dry side, as they are in my garden, be prepared to water your plant regularly. A run of dry weather and the foliage of my Wax Bells sulks miserably. A top-dressing of mulch helps to a degree, but I find supplemental water is necessary in the hot, dry weather of mid-summer.

Plant Type: Perennial

Height: 90-120 cm (35-47 inches)

Spread: 75-90 cm (29-35 inches)

Flower: Butter-yellow

Bloom period: Late summer/early fall

Leaf: Maple-shaped leaves

Light: Part-shade

Growing conditions: Moist, rich, somewhat acidic soil

Move or Divide: Spring

Problems: Slugs, snails and earwigs

USDA Zones: 5-8

Companion Plants

Yellow Wax Bells work with any woodland plant, perennial or bulb that likes moist, part-shade.

Spring perennials might include:

• Primula 

• Lungwort (Pulmonaria)

• Foam Flowers (Tiarella)

• Virginia Blue Bells (Mertensia virginica)

• Wood Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides)

• Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

• Bloodroot, (Sanguinaria canadensis)

• Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata)

• Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)

• Geum

 Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart' 

Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina), Leucojum aestivum, Brunnera variegata

Foam Flowers (Tiarella)

Spring bulbs might include: 

• Snowdrops

• Camassia

• Daffodils

• Erythronium 'Pagoda'

• Anemone blanda

• Fritillaria

• Leucojum aestivum

Very much a work in progress! The waterfall will eventually start just behind the Lobelia (#3) and will flow into a small stream. It will pass under two footbridges and empty into a pond on the other side of the yard. Plants already in place include:

1. Dogwood tree 2. Ninebark shrub 3. Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) 4. Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart') 5. Self-seeded Pulmonaria 6. Miniature Hosta 7. Geum 8. Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina) 9. Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' 10. Hydrangea paniculata 'Bobo' 11. Carex 12. Hydrangea Paniculata 'Little Lime' (that I just about killed when I forgot to water it during one of the recent dry spells!) 13. Repeated Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina) 14. Brunnera (with a couple of miniature hosta at its feet that will eventually need to be moved.) 15. Yellow Wax Bells (Kirengeshoma palmata). The purple flowers (not numbered) are Phlox 'Purple Flame'.

Dwarf Goat's Beard, Aruncus 'Misty Lace'

Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) 

Piper on the second bridge swishing the Eupatorium 'Chocolate' with his tail. 

Astilbe 'Shogun' and two types of Heuchera

The blooms of Hydrangea paniculata 'Bobo' start off white and then age

 into shades of cream and rose.

Summer/fall options might include:

• Ferns (Japanese and native)

• Heuchera

• Ligularia

• Perennial Lobelia
• Goat's Beard (Aruncus) 

• Hydrangea

• Monarda

•Astilbe

• Phlox

• Native Lobelia

• Eupatorium 'Chocolate'

• Bugbane (Actea simplex)

You may have to do a little searching to find Yellow Wax Bells, but I think you'll find that they are well worth the hunt (P.S. A local source would be Lost Horizons just outside of Acton)!

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Unusual Spring Bulbs: Winter Aconite, Eranthis Hyemalis

Winter Aconite like to bloom in the sunshine. They don't mind the cold though. These small woodland plants are early risers that often peek up from under a light covering of snow. To take advantage of the bare limbs of the trees above, they rush to flower.  Like crocus, the cup-shaped flowers face upward, opening into the sunlight. 

By the time the tree canopy opens fully casting them into the shade, the flowers have already done their job. The bees have come and gone pollinating the tiny yellow flowers. Little green seed pods begin to appear among the dying foliage. Having set seed, Winter Aconite slips quietly back into dormancy. 

Members of the buttercup family, Winter Aconite, Eranthis hyemalis are native to the deciduous woodlands of the Balkans, Italy and southern France. Short, reddish-brown stems propel the flowers above any snow or leaf litter. Each yellow flower has a fringe of leaf-like bracts. Lobed green leaves emerge to replace the spent flowers. 

Winter Aconite scattered in a lawn.

Planting

To mimic the natural habitat of Winter Aconite, plant them under deciduous trees or shrubs. One of my neighbours also has them scattered through his lawn. They seem perfectly happy flowering among the fresh blades of grass each spring. A white magnolia provides them with welcome shade through the summer. 

Like most woodland plants, Aconite prefer humus-rich soil. Though the plants go dormant in the late spring, they like to rest in soil that is cool and moist, but well-drained. Their tubers never like to dry out completely. 

As with bulbs, Aconite are planted in the fall. Soak the tubers overnight in a shallow dish of water and then plant them 2-3" deep and 3" apart. Choose your location carefully. They prefer not to be moved once planted in the ground.

If growing conditions are favourable, Aconite will self-seed and naturalize to form a colorful colony.

Snowdrops bloom at the same time as Winter Aconites.

One of my Hellebores blooming in early April.

Companion Plants

My camera gives me a time stamp that tells me that my Aconites were blooming on April 4th this year. On that same day, I also photographed white snowdrops, iris reticulata, purple crocus and the first of my Hellebores flowers in bloom. Any of these plants would look great paired with Winter Aconites. 

I can imagine a group of white hellebores with a carpet of the little yellow flowers at their feet. A more unorthodox pairing would be to mix Aconites with black hellebore– a sort of bumblebee color scheme. (Read more about Hellebores here.)

Pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign' would make a nice companion plant for Winter Aconites.

Pulmonaria 'Opal' has pale blue flowers.

Lungwort, Pulmonaria is an early perennial that likes the same moist, shady conditions as Aconites, so I think the two plants would also be great friends.

An all-blue Pulmonaria like 'Blue Ensign' or 'Opal' combined with snowdrops and Aconites would make for a classic mix of white, yellow and blue.

Eranthis hyemalis are an important source of pollen for hungry bees that have been 

waiting all winter for warmer weather.

For me, Winter Aconites are a welcome sign that spring has finally arrived. They're a cheerful sight that always lifts the spirits after a long winter. 

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