My garden right now is a very dramatic scene. The asters are taking a prolonged swan song before their final bow; the dusty pinks, lavenders and blues gradually giving way to brown seedheads. The Japanese anemones, however, are still singing at the top of their lungs, like the floral divas they are. Sometimes known to their botanist friends as Anemone hupehensis var. japonica, or Anemone japonica, or even Anemone x hybrida, they are some of the most impressive fall bloomers. The fact that most of them can pull off stellar performances in light shade makes them even better.
My favorite of these prima donnas, Anemone ‘Whirlwind’, is center stage in my front border. ‘Whirlwind’ is a tall plant, rising to about three feet. The dark green leaves are lobed and remind me a bit of maple foliage. The white flowers, borne at the tops of the stems, are poppy-like and semi-double, with fluffy golden stamens in the centers. The feature that gives these plants such a distinctive appearance, however, is the way the stems are arranged. At about the two-foot point, each tall flower stalk branches into four or five individual erect stems. Each of those stems is topped by a fat flower bud. Usually the central stem is shorter than those surrounding it and its bud opens first. When that happens, the whole arrangement looks like planets orbiting a golden-centered sun. Eventually, the center flower fades and the side flowers open up.
All those suns and planets make a large clump of flowering ‘Whirlwind’ a spectacular sight. The blooms are also good cut flowers, though not as long lasting as their seasonal bouquet-mates, chrysanthemums. Japanese anemones make up for their slightly shorter vase life by remaining attractive after the petals have dropped. The centers, which stay on the stems, look like greenish buttons and make nice accents in arrangements.
Anemone hupehensis arrived in England from Hubei Province in China in 1910. It had long been naturalized in Japan—hence the common name–and quickly caught on in the West. Breeders began using the species to create new hybrids, so Anemone hupehensis is a parent to many of the currently available varieties sold as “Japanese anemones.”
The common name, “anemone,” is a little confusing, as it is also applied to low growing spring flowers like Anemone blanda, Anemone coronaria and Pulsatilla vulgaris, formerly known as Anemone pulsatilla. Spring anemone selection may be complicated, but fall choices are easier. Of all the commonly cultivated plants called “anemone,” only Anemone x hybrida and its relatives bloom in fall.
My ‘Whirlwind’ is only one of many cultivars, which are available in single and double forms with blooms in shades of pink, rose and white. Single whites include varieties like ‘Andrea Atkinson’ and the old favorite, ‘Honorine Joubert’. Double pinks include the shell-colored ‘Max Vogel’; ‘Prince Henry’, with deep rose flowers; and the appropriately named ‘Party Dress’ with a somewhat rakish array of narrow petals in medium pink. The latter also boasts exceptionally large flowers. The single-flowered, medium pink Anemone tomentosa ‘Robustissima’ grows in my garden in great profusion. Its only flaw is a tendency to flop over because of its stature.
A happy Japanese anemone is a prolific Japanese anemone. I started with one plant each of ‘Whirlwind’, ‘Robustissima’ and ‘Prince Henry’. I ended up with a lot of all three. The good thing is that as the plants reproduce, the maple-like leaves form an attractive groundcover. I can envision interplanting Japanese anemones with spring-flowering bulbs, whose dying foliage would then be covered by the anemone leaves
. ‘Whirlwind’ seems the most prone to self-seeding, but perhaps that is due to its sunny location. All anemones can bloom in light shade, but sun brings out more flowers.
Japanese anemones are easy to grow and work well in cottage gardens and other informal layouts. I saw clumps of them growing amidst highly trained and cosseted Japanese chrysanthemums a few years ago at the New York Botanical Garden’s “Momijigari: The Japanese Autumn Garden” show. Erect types, like ‘Whirlwind’ probably work best in more formal settings.
I don’t often see Japanese anemones in the garden centers at this time of year, but that may be because they are swamped under the seasonal high tide of chrysanthemums and asters. To buy some for your own garden, try Bluestone Perennials, 7211 Middle Ridge Rd.., Madison, OH 44057, 800-852-5243; www.bluestoneperennials.com. Free catalog.