Cutleaf Anemone vs Nodding Onion - TreeTime.ca

Cutleaf Anemone vs Nodding Onion

Anemone multifida

Allium cernuum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Cutleaf Anemone
Nodding Onion

Pacific Anemone is a native perennial wildflower with buttercup-like blooms. The flowers can be a variety of colors, including white, pink, and dark red. The deeply cut leaves add a unique texture to the landscape. The flowers bloom from May to August, providing early-season nectar and pollen for insects. They attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies.

As the flowers fade, they become fluffy white seed heads, which birds often use in their nests. They can spread readily through self-seeding; to limit their spread, regular deadheading is recommended. Tolerant of drought and poor soils, the Pacific Anemone is well suited for wildflower gardens, pollinator gardens, and naturalization projects.

Nodding Onion is a native perennial wildflower known for its nodding clusters of flowers that range in color from white to pink to purple. The lightly scented blooms provide pollen and nectar for pollinators, especially bees, which can collect while hanging upside down, a capability most other insects lack.

The narrow, grass-like leaves of the Nodding Onion can be used as a seasoning in cooked dishes, though bulbs and raw leaves should not be eaten in large quantities. All parts of the plant have an onion-like aroma when bruised, which helps deter deer and rabbits. They can self-seed readily, so removing spent blooms helps manage their spread. Tolerant of a range of soils, including alkaline, it is well-suited for a variety of plantings, including pollinator gardens and naturalization projects.

Cutleaf Anemone Quick Facts

Nodding Onion Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: very fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright to spreading, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - high
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: raw leaves and bulbs can be midly toxic
Foliage: smells of onion when crushed, edible
Flowers: white, pink, or deep red
Flowers: white, pink, or purple nodding clusters
Bloom time: late spring to early summer
Bloom time: late spring to summer
Seeds: fluffy, silky seedheads
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU
Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON
Other Names: birds-foot anemone, cut leaf anemone, cut-leaved anemone, red windflower
Other Names: ladys leek, nodding wild onion