Pulsatilla vulgaris

Pasque flowers are the perfect heralds of spring. Anemone-like blooms appear in March or April and are followed by fascinating little balls of fluffy seed, which are equal in beauty to the flowers. They do require full sun and perfect drainage so please plant accordingly.

P. vulgaris makes a lovely little tuffet with fern-like filigree leaves and silk hairs from which the mauve flowers emerge.

Distinctions: Winner of an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticulture Society; Plant of the Year 1996 in Germany.

Zones: 5 to 8

Family: Ranunculaceae

Type: HerbaceousPerennial

Height: 8 to 12 in.

Width: 8 to 12 in.

Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade

Soil Conditions: Dry, Well-drained, Alkaline

Bloom Time: March to April

Bloom Color: mauve

Native Range: Europe, southwestern Asia

Image Credits:

• Image 1 (bloom) Daniel Ballmer, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
• Image 2 (bud) Uleli, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
• Image 3 (form) Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
• Image 4 (seed head) Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons