Thimbleweed
Anemone virginiana
Clean white cups in May and June, then woolly thimble-shaped seed heads that last through winter. Adaptable in dry part shade, lives for decades.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Spring white flowers followed by woolly thimble-shaped seed heads that hold through winter -- two distinct seasons of visual interest in one low-maintenance plant.
Thimbleweed is named for the thimble-shaped seed heads that follow the spring flowers -- woolly white puffs on upright stems that persist through fall and winter, looking like small wool pompoms scattered through the garden. The flowers themselves are simple white cups in May and June, single and clean against the divided foliage. Both the bloom and the seed heads are quietly beautiful in different seasons. It grows in dry open woods and rocky sites, making it one of the more adaptable native wildflowers for partial shade in average to dry soil. Established plants spread slowly and live for decades. The seed heads are irresistible -- children, photographers, and plant lovers all reach for them. A slow builder but a permanent addition once established.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown thimbleweed propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Dry
- Mature size
- 1.5–3 ft · 12–18 in wide
- Bloom time
- May–June
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Native range
- Eastern and central North America from Quebec south to Georgia and west to Kansas and the Dakotas, in open woodlands, meadows, and rocky slopes
Care notes for thimbleweed.
Full sun to part shade in dry to average, well-drained soil. Tolerates rocky, poor, and dry conditions well. Do not cut back in fall -- the woolly seed heads are a winter ornament. Cut old stems back in early spring before new growth. Self-seeds slowly; allow seedlings to establish where they fall.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside thimbleweed.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.