When you’re noting your things to do for fall, be sure to write: Plant more Anemone blanda, the Grecian windflower. This diminutive, daisylike member of the Ranunculus or buttercup family is an early spring bloomer in my garden.

It flowers best where I allow the leaves to accumulate and compost into mulch under shrubs.

Generally, I leave my leaves on the garden every fall, raking them up and composting them in spring. This year, I’m experimenting with taking the dry, over-wintered maple leaves, crushing them by hand and putting them back on the garden under a layer of manure or cedar mulch. I think it will make my flowers happier.

Of the mix of white, pink and blue Anemone blanda planted many years ago, the most resilient (in a dry, sandy garden under Norway maples) seems to be the white. Too bad, really, because the blue is particularly charming.