In central Maine, snow may cover the ground from late November through early April, and frost-free nights are not expected until the first of June.
When winter lasts so long, and spring is so uncertain, a flower that blooms in April is worth a hundred flowers in June. For us, that precious April bloom is the pasque flower.
Pasque Flower: Unique Among Plants
It is unique among the plants in our garden for its appearance is constantly changing. In early April, when snow over the rockery begins to melt, the flower buds form at the ground level under cover of last year’s leaves.
When this dry foliage is removed, the newborn buds look like silvery gray-green puffs. Examine them closely, showing that two fern like bracts cover each bud.
As the days continue warm, the flower stems lengthen, the bracts fold back, and the pasque flower is technically in bloom.
But at this stage, the developing sepals (there are no true petals) are only partly open, and since their brightly colored under-surfaces are concealed, the flowers look from a distance like velvety, bell-shaped cups of bluish gray.
As The Flower Stems Continue To Grow
The sepals fold back slightly, revealing their typically blue or purple colors against which numerous golden stamens are brilliantly contrasted.
Fully open now, the flowers measure from 2” to 3” inches across, held on stems varying from 6” to 12” inches tall.
While the more usual colors of Anemone pulsatilla are blue and purple, ours range from pale lilac through blue to dark reddish purple. In addition to these colors, white and red horticultural forms are listed and may be available from some plant suppliers.
Attractive First Pasque Flowers
The first flowers remain attractive for days before they fade and gradually fall apart. But new ones take their place, and if faded ones are removed, and the weather remains cool, flowering may continue into June. A well-established plant can be counted on to produce several dozen flowers.
The attractiveness of the pasque flower does not end with the arrival of warmer days, however, for it now enters a new and different stage.
When it is obvious its flowering days are numbered, we do not pick the last flowers, and within a few days, they are transformed into globes of silky, showy plumes that last for weeks and rival the flowers in beauty.
These feathery globes, of course, are the seed heads that consist of dense clusters of achenes tipped with plumy styles.
As the seeds mature, the plumes lose their silky pale green luster and become whiter and more feathery.
Finally, in early July, if not pelted down by rain, the plumes break loose, allowing the seeds for the next generation to float and tumble into all corners of the garden.
The seeds that fall in favorable places sprout within a few weeks. To prevent this self-sowing which creates a weed problem in our bed of sempervivums, we pick off the seed heads just as the plumes turn white.
The Foliage On July Season
In July, the season of showiness is over. But the fern-like foliage, which has grown into attractive mounds of various shades of green, lasts until long after the first frosts.
Some mounds are tinted bronze in late October, while others remain green. Then, when the snow falls, the resilient foliage forms the only protection the pasque flower needs for the winter.
Anemone Pulsatilla
Anemone pulsatilla, sometimes referred to by its old name Pulsatilla vulgaris, is native to Europe and was held in high esteem during the Middle Ages, as old herbals tell us. It was not cultivated until rock gardens became popular in about 1880.
Flowering in France at about Easter time was given the popular name of pasque flower, pasque in Old French, and Piques in modern French, meaning Easter. In France, the dye was extracted from its purple sepals to color Easter eggs.
It was called kuechenschelle or “kitchen bell” in Germany because of its bell-shaped flowers, and Coventry bell in England, a name now firmly attached to a campanula.
Poisonous Pasque Flower
Like most members of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), the pasque flower is mildly poisonous if eaten, but the highly toxic monkshoods and delphiniums in the perennial border constitute a far greater source of danger to children who may tend to take an experimental nibble than does this anemone.
In pharmacology, the pasque flower is a source of the drug pulsatilla, which may be extracted from any part of the plant.
Ideal Growing Conditions
While, by nature, a plant of stony, well-drained, chalky soil, the pasque flower will tolerate a wide range of conditions.
If your soil is acidic, a comfortable, long-lasting site for pasque flowers may be prepared by adding crushed limestone when the plants are set in place.
One of our neighbors has several large clumps which have lived and flowered well for years in a perennial border on rather heavy clay soil.
Planting In Sunny Rockery
For best flowering, however, planting in a sunny rockery is recommended.
Plant in groups of three or more about 6” inches apart. Solitary plants scattered here and there in niches in drywall are not as attractive. Our most effective planting is a group of three at the base of a large granite rock.
Once planted, they are difficult to move without serious damage, for their roots are long and branching. If you must move established plants, September or October is the best time.
Easiest Method Of Propagation
The easiest propagation method is to sow seed in seed beds outdoors in early spring or fall just before the soil freezes. Fresh seeds obtained from a reliable supplier or gathered from plants in June or July will germinate readily.
For that matter, seeds sown immediately after ripening will germinate within a few weeks in a well-cared-for seed bed or pan. However, we prefer spring sowing in an open seedbed since this involves the least care.
By September, the spring-started seedlings are large enough to move to permanent garden locations where they will bloom the following year.
If an especially attractive colored variety should appear among homegrown seedlings or is obtained by purchase, it may be increased by taking 1-inch root cuttings from plants after flowering and growing them for about two months in moist, sterile sand.
The method calls for more attention to detail than the average gardener is willing to give.
Propagating By Division
We have experimented with the simpler and less tedious possibility of propagating by division. Sections of a plant carefully lifted and divided last summer appear to have survived.
Before attempting the division of a valuable plant, however, it is wise to experiment with one or two less desirable plants.
Considering the ease with which new plants may be obtained from seed and the fact that very few seedlings need ever be rejected, propagation from seed should be entirely satisfactory.
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