Anemones

The Anemones have been blooming, mostly just one at a time here and there they are a nice blueish purple color, and are running a bit small, this one is the largest that has bloomed. It's a little over 3" across.

from Wikipedia: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Greek anemōnē means "daughter of the wind", from ánemos "wind" + feminine patronymic suffix -ōnē.^[4] The Metamorphoses of Ovid tells that the plant was created by the goddess Venus when she sprinkled nectar on the blood of her dead lover Adonis. The name "windflower" is used for the whole genus as well as the wood anemone A. nemorosa.^[5]

These are Japanese hybrid-style anemones, and grow from a tuber, I would hope they would naturalize in an area if they were planted in the ground.

Sunset Western Gardener Manual says they are zones 2b-24 (sunset zones, not USDA. I am in zone 14). and that they are long-lived. they are supposed to be slow to establish but spreads if the roots are not disturbed, so plant them and leave them alone. divide the rhizomes in fall or early spring, or propagate from root cuttings. they like partial shade, which is good since i have them on the patio in a pot under a very old large deciduous oak tree that keeps the patio nice and cool all summer long.

 

There are varieties of anemones that are native to California, Oregon and Washington, you can look at some of them here at the CalFlora site , they are less showy, but retain the bright cheery feel.