Which plant have you got for ground covers? I've got a few but definitely not just grass and Balkan Anemones . I planted them to make sure not much weed take over my garden and to make sure that the soil won't dry up and get scorched from the hot sun. If that happens a gust of wind could cause it to erode to the sidewalk or a bit of rain could cost you buying sacks of soil for your garden since no ground covers held the soil together.
One of my Dutch friends told me that if I want to know whether it's officially spring - look for a flowering Balkan Anemones . That she learned from her great granny who learned it from her great granny back when clock and calendars don't exist yet. Yes, plums and other fruiting trees could tell you that, too but sometimes, those fruiting trees could bolt so it's not very credible but the bloom of Balkan Anemones confirm that it is Spring. Amazing that a long time ago, people here just rely on plants to tell them the change in season. Had I not lived here, I wouldn't have known thank the heavens for not allowing me to be just like lake frog.
Hub set just one rhizome of this in the ground and I've accidentally dug that rhizome when I was thinning the blue shades we have in the front yard to move a few in the back yard. The rhizome looks like that of a ginger's just browner and rather - skinny and looking dry like that of a woman starving herself going on a diet - wrinkled. They're very easy to grow and propagate.
How to take care of a Balkan Anemone?
You don't - this beauty is like an independent woman - she buys the shoes she wears with her own smartly earned money and she's not high maintenance ... I mean ~~ Balkan Anemones can manage on their own. They don't need much attention they know when to wake up and when to get dormant. Just slip the rhizome into the soil in fall, mulch a bit and it'll send it's shoot as soon as the Spring is near. Thin it or break the rhizome into pieces and surely it'll creep away before you even know it. Like an unnoticed woman climbing up to success effortlessly and quietly - you only get to notice her presence when she starts blooming. Must be the envy of the crocuses (grin).
If you thin your Balkan Anemones make sure to plant the ones you dug up on shallow holes beside a taller bushy plant that could serve as its shade. If you live in a place like The Netherlands where it rains and hails even in late Spring then you won't have to mind watering them but if you don't make sure that the newly transplanted Balkan Anemones get enough water. That's it - easy peasy ey? If you plant it on pots, just find a shady spot for that pot so they won't get scorched.
It's not the only thing my friend told me about Balkan Anemones - her granny also taught her that they could tell you when it's going to rain and where the sun is. Flowers of Balkan Anemones would automatically close their petals and droop to protect their pollen from the rain. They're teeny tiny so a drop must feel like a tsunami to those teeny tiny pollen that's why they close their petals, bow and take those must be giant rain drops on their back. True ... they also do the same when it's near dusk - like shops they close their petals, too.
On the other hand, on sunny days, their beautiful faces light up and those petals open up in full bloom and like the sun flower they follow the sun. The Balkan Anemones worked like sun dials a very long time ago for this characteristic. Fascinated with the story, I've observed them during my first years here and yes, my friend told me a fact - it's not a myth.
Ground covers like the Balkan Anemones insulate the ground from extreme heat and extreme cold. Like the grass I planted around the pear trees, Balkan Anemones improve the humus level in your soil for the earthworms and other insect or creepy crawlers to thrive in. Those creepy crawlers keep the soil breathing and rich in minerals the plants need. There are so many other ground covers but if you'd like to have one that won't demand much caring - give having a Balkan Anemones a thought.
Have you got ground covers in your garden, too?
Which one? What makes that so special?
Care to share?
I hope you do!
I took each picture with my Samsung Galaxy A3 2016 edition.
You want sources right? Here are your sources:
Anemone Blanda Blue Shades
Anemone Blanda White Splendour
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Here are my other gardening articles:
A Chart of Plants That Are Compatible or Can Be Planted Next to Each Other
Ooopssss .. I Planted the Onions Close to the Radishes ! (panic)
Where Would Avocado Seeds Germinate Faster - in Soil or in Water?
An Open Notes Gardening Quiz on Some Flowers That Look Alike
Grow Your Own Tropical Mangoes in Western Europe and Other Countries with Hard Winters
How and Which Tropical Plants Can You Actually Grow in Cold Countries
My Log in Growing My Own Moringa Plant Indoors in A Cold Country, Half a Year Later
Gardening Hacks : On Planting Tomatoes and Other Nightshade Plants
Follow My Experiment Log on Planting Chestnuts and Walnuts From Seeds
- Gardening Hacks : Basic Tips in Growing Cacti Indoors
- Which Cactus Is This?
- Tips on Propagating Succulents Like Echeverias
- Flowers That Are Still In Bloom in Late Autumn, 2016
- Firethorns in Autumn
- Mispel or The Medlar Fruit