Double Anemones;
St. Brigid Hybrids

Only anemones, and possibly roses, have been cultivated by man for thousands of years solely for their innate beauty. Roses one could argue, may have been cultivated for their rose-hips which are full of beneficial vitamin C as well as for their inherent beauty and their wonderful fragrances. But anemones have been cultivated solely for their singular beauty as far back as the Assyrian epoch and thereafter by the ancient Egyptians. The Romans cultivated them on a grand scale (as well as roses!) employing them abundantly in all manner of ceremonies, for sacred feast-days and parties. Indeed their Linnaean name alludes to this function; Anemone coronaria.
No part of the Anemone plant has any medicinal value, they are difficult to grow and they are of no use as a foodstuff, so their allure to early civilizations can only be ascribed to the exquisite perfection of their flowers.
So beguiling are the Anemone flowers that it is thought that they may be the flower that Jesus referred to when he stated; “Consider the lilies of the field, they spin not, nor do they toil…”
Most of us in the commercial cut-flower industry are aware of the contemporary anemones that are available almost year round, the widely acclaimed “Mona Lisa” series. These are single daisy-type flowers, with striking black centers around which are displaced 7 or 8 petals, perfect or almost perfect in disposition.
In Southern California, we are lucky to be able to feature the rare double anemones, of the “St. Brigid” strain. We believe that these are the only double anemones in commercial cultivation in the USA, and we highly recommend that you try these delightful flowers if you are unfamiliar with them.
Like many double flowers found throughout the Flora kingdom, they tend to be much stronger and more resilient than their single counterparts, and the “St. Brigid” Anemones’ are no exception. More often than not when a single flowers loses a petal, or is damaged in some way then the flower loses its appeal; however, in the case of double flowers (think stock, lisianthus, bouvardia) they maintain their integrity of structure even when missing a petal or two. On top of that, these glorious double anemones exude a richness of texture and color that speaks to the fine quality and the rarity of these flowers.
We highly recommend that you ask your Mayesh sales associate about these fine flowers. The “St. Brigid” series are available in magenta, red and a deep purple-blue, all with black centers.
Available now and continuing through the beginning of April.

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