ANEMONE: the many symbols
Anemone. The delicate bloom with a sophisticated history. The windflower. Originating from the Greek word anemos, meaning wind. Named after the delicate nature of the wind to both encourage their petals to open and carry them off on the breeze. They are harbingers of rain, as old wive’s tales say, they close up if a storm is on the way. With their center structure perhaps the densest pigment and closest you can get to black in the flower world, (aside from poppies) anemones usher in an air of mystery and immediately bring a certain mood to arrangements.
Weather and night will cause anemones to close up. This behavior combined with their composition including their dark “iris” like center, resembles that of an eye. They have a mixed lore throughout history, with some Eastern religions associating them with bad luck and grief and many others, such as the Romans, considered them to help ward off evil, as a protective flower.
In ancient myth, they sprang from the tears of Aphrodite mourning her lover Adonis. While there are many origins to the story, Adonis was wounded by a wild boar, with some myths claiming the boar was the god Ares. Despite the Goddess’ attempts to save her lover, Adonis met a mortal end. Red anemones were told to spring from the tears mixed with his blood. In other places in history, they are associated with Christ and the crucifixion. Some lore associates this flower with sudden loss and grief, however it also carries the duality of deep love and compassion.
“The Awakening of Adonis” John Waterhouse 1899.
With over 200 species in the genus Anemone, there are many ways to enjoy this mysterious beauty in gardens and floral arrangements. The colors are infinite from white and pale pinks to deep burgundy, they bring light or dark to design. Dwarf varieties make the perfect path or garden border flower, while delicate stems can reach taller, wilder heights offsetting the weight of more voluminous blooms. Some varieties worth looking into:
Anemone multifida
Anemone tomento
Anemone coronariasa
Flowers are inherently a fragile, perishable thing, but through symbolism as conveyed in myth and realized by art, we can expand the time and experience we have to enjoy them.
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Venus Creating the Anemone with the Blood of Adonis (French: Vénus créant l'anémone avec le sang d'Adonis). Bon Boullogne circa 1700