Garden Notes Japanese Anemone

---

Japanese anemone, a perennial grown for its late-summer flowers, is actually a native of China--Hupeh. It is considered one of the classical plants of Japanese gardening.

Japanese anemone grows to 2 1/2 to 4 feet. It has slender, branching flower stalks and deeply cut dark green leaves about a foot high, with mounding foliage.

The 2- to 3-inch wide flowers are white,pink, or mauve and bloom from late summer to midfall. The branching stems are covered with seedheads in winter that look like cottonballs.

Japanese Anemones like rich, moisture-retentive, well drained soils, supplemented with peat moss. Provide partial shade for mid afternoon heat, but they will grow in full sun.

They will need protection from wind in Zones 5 and 6. Mulch in the winter with any good organic mulch.

Propagate in the spring by seed or division, or by root cuttings taken in the fall. Set plants about 18 inches apart. Cut stems down to the ground in late fall, after flowering ends. To make root cuttings,soak the ground around your plant. Carefully break off a piece of the root and take some soil with it. New plants started from root cuttings or clump divisions made in early spring will bloom the same year.

Clumps flower best if left undivided so only move the plant for propagation .The Japanese anemone is long-lived, and if left undisturbed it spreads to form a large patch.

They are low-maintenance plants and a great addition to the perennial border.

I have several varieties in my gardens, and have spread them around. I like the lightness and fragility of their blooms at a time of the year when many other plants have finished flowering. They bloom at the end of the growing season and may be killed if an early frost occurs so I try to place them in sheltered spots. But if the season is long you can enjoy them for weeks. They would benefit from feedings a few times during the year, and will colonize in a natural setting.