short-lived perennial that deteriorates
after the 2nd year and must be divided.
Plants do not respond well to autumn
planting. Heavy seeders.
related plantS Anchusa azurea
‘Dropmore’ is floppy and requires
staking, but has gorgeous sky-blue
flowers. ‘Little John’ grows 12–18 in.,
usually not needing staking. ‘Loddon
Royalist’, 3 ft. in height, may
need staking, particularly in wind
and storms.Anemone ×hybrida
Japanese anemone
ranunculaceae
White, pink, or rose flowers;
trifoliate leaves
2–4 ft. (1 1/4–1 1/2 ft.) high; 2 ft. wide
Full sun–part shade
Blooms September–October
Zones 4–8pruning Japanese anemone doesn’t
require deadheading to prolong bloom,
but the old flowers tend to detract from
the beauty of new buds and flowers. I
usually deadhead once early in the
bloom period, and then let the rest of
the deadheads remain on the plants.
The seedheads do not turn cottonlike,
as do the flowers of many other
members of the genus. Plants blacken
and become quite unattractive with a
hard frost, and are probably best cut
down for the winter. Can be com-
pletely defoliated by black blister
beetles in July. The remaining bare
stems of infected plants should be cut
to the ground. New basal foliage
quickly returns, but the plants most
likely will not flower that season. Take
care when pruning down stems after
beetle damage to wear gloves and
protective clothing, as a few beetles
may still be on plants and can cause
blisters on the skin upon contact.
Japanese beetles also can do major
damage to Japanese anemone leaves. I
consider the damage from the
Japanese beetles to be pruning for
height control as my Anemone
×hybrida ‘Queen Charlotte’ flowered at
2 1/2 ft., rather than its typical 3 1/2 ft.,
with little delay in the flowering time
as a result of Japanese beetle feeding in
June. The overall vigor of the plant was
reduced, however. I assume gardeners
may be able to prune similarly by
cutting back by half in early June when
plants are 12 in. tall; my attempts at
finding out the results of this have
been hindered by black blister beetle
damage on pruned plants.
other maintenance Plants prefer
rich, well-draining organic soil. Often
killed by wet overwintering conditions.
Avoid periods of drought. Can be
short-lived and requires mulching for
the winter in northern gardens. Often
slow to establish, but once Japanese
anemone takes hold it can be invasive,
requiring digging out to keep plants in
their intended space and to control
spread. I have grown them success-
fully in sun or shade, although
morning sun is preferred to hotAnemone ×hybrida
‘Bressingham Glow’