Maturity and Quality
Flowers should be harvested when the buds are fully colored and 25–50% open, but before the petals have expanded and the pollen is shed. Purchase when true colors are showing.
Grading and Bunching. Anemones are normally sold in bunches of 10 stems.
Postharvest Handling and Storage
Anemones should be stored at 0-1°C, and may be dry-stored for at least one week. Store vertically.
Ethylene exposure causes petal shatter and reduced vase life.
Pretreatments
Pretreatment with STS or MCP prevents the deleterious effects of ethylene.
Packing
The flowers are usually packed in standard horizontal fiberboard boxes.
Special Considerations
Anemone’s prominence and beauty in arrangements is a double-edged sword because of the flower’s relatively short vase life. It is preferable not to use anemones as focal points. Keep stems wrapped during re-hydration to help keep them straight. There is no scientific basis for the practice of piercing a hole through the flower base to extend life. Placing anemones in vases with freshly cut daffodils can reduce their life because of the harmful juices exuded from the daffodils.
Disorders
Description
Anemone spp. Brightly colored in deep reds, blues, purples, and white, anemones have rather short stems, and are typically a spring flower. New, improved tetraploid varieties have recently been introduced into commerce. Anemone is an ancient Greek name meaning windflower from 'anemos' for wind.