This is one of the "old-fashioned" flowers of our gardens—in fact, a
native species, having a black tuberous root, which forms a distinct,
though invisible characteristic of the species. As the old names are
somewhat descriptive, I give them—viz., Geranium-leaved Anemone, and
Stork's-bill Windflower.
The appearance of a bold piece of this plant when in flower is
exceedingly cheerful; the soft-looking feathery foliage forms a rich
groundwork for the lavish number of flowers, which vary much in colour,
from sky-blue to nearly white, according to the number of days they may
have been in blow, blue being the opening colour. The flowers are
produced singly on stems, 6in. high, and ornamented with a whorl of
finely-cut leaflets, stalked, lobed, and toothed; above this whorl the
ruddy flower stem is much more slender. During sunshine the flowers are
1½in. across the tips of sepals, becoming reflexed. The foliage, as
before hinted, is in the form of a whorl, there being no root leaf, and
the soft appearance of the whole plant is due to its downiness, which
extends to and includes the calyx. The lobes of the leaves are cupped,
but the leaves themselves reflex until their tips touch the ground,
whence their distinct and pleasing form.
This plant is most at home in the half shade of trees, where its flowers
retain their blue colour longer. It should be grown in bold patches, and
in free or sandy soil. The tubers may be transplanted soon after the
tops have died off in late summer.