Pasque flower

There are 33 species of Pulsatilla, all native to the northern hemisphere. They are low growing, early flowering plants with large, showy blossoms usually in lilac through shades of purple, but they can also be white, pink, reddish, and a few species are yellow. Most of them (but not all) are perfectly hardy here. The flowers are followed by silky seedheads that become fluffier as they mature. Some gardeners find them very decorative while others prefer to deadhead them.

Botanists originally placed these plants in the genus Anemone, and they are still occasionally listed as such. All species are extremely poisonous.

In Europe, Pulsatilla vulgaris is a common garden flower and the Germans in particular have developed some really outstanding hybrids. The hybrid forms have larger, showier flowers than their wild counterparts and often flower for up to two weeks longer. They also tend to be more vigorous and have a considerably wider color range.

‘Papageno’ comes in a range of colours including white, purple, pink, red and maroon. It is absolutely outstanding in the garden.

‘Red Cloak’ has up-facing, intensely cherry red flowers which bloom over a long period of time. It is the official flower for the city of Calgary. It looks absolutely smashing when planted in mass in a rock garden.

‘Pearl Bells’ may appeal to some gardeners. It is a pale pink, nearly white with a satiny sheen. The flowers are smaller than many other cultivars.

The ‘Pinwheel’ series offers some excellent whites, reds, and a really good deep purple-blue. They are very compact and cute.

The ‘Heiler Hybrids’ offer an immense range of nodding, very colorful blooms and are also worth having.

Grow Pulsatilla in full sun and moist, reasonably fertile soil. They are quite adaptable and can make do with much less than ideal conditions (including partial shade) but it will be at the expense of their flower production. They can be slow to establish and they are resentful of disturbance. They can be grown from seed and the hybrids will produce especially interesting offspring. They take a long time to get from seed to bloom. Division must be done with great care, if at all. They are known to sometimes self sow, so be cautious when weeding around them that you don’t pull out a baby one by mistake.