Though many of our summer annuals have stretched beautifully into fall, many of us are looking for a garden refresh.
Something new and interesting to pick up our colour and carry it into fall.
That's where Japanese anemones play such an important role. In full or partial sun, even in shade, they are just now setting buds to bloom continuously well through October.
There are compact varieties that are fine, but they have never lived up to their billing. I love the taller ones reaching up to three feet.
However, if I had a favourite shorty, it would be "Pink Kiss," which grows only about 12 inches tall and pumps out bright pink single flowers all summer.
Perhaps the classiest is A. "Honorine Jobert." This tall beauty reaches up to three feet (one metre) and has large single white flowers that create a beautiful backdrop for other shade or partial sun lovers.
To be fair, it can also tolerate full sun, but tends to wilt a little during the warmest part of the day.
One of the earliest to flower is A." Robustissima." It reaches up to about 30 inches and produces an abundance of soft pink, single flowers well into fall.
If three feet is too tall, "Whirlwind" is a large flowering semi-double anemone that grows only about two feet (60 cm) in height.
Another beautiful variety is A. "September Charm" that has loads of single pink, medium-sized blooms that just keep coming till frost.
Japanese anemones adapt nicely to containers and combine well with other evergreens, like heucheras, evergreen euphorbias and the full range of colourful carex grasses.
As a rule of thumb, Japanese anemones can spread and make a very effective ground cover by themselves. I've seen landscape architects do this, but I would prefer to add a little winter interest, like Helleborus niger (the Christmas rose).
Now is a wonderful time to plant these beautiful anemones to enjoy some fresh colour and for a sense that autumn coolness is on its way.
They will get bigger and better each year, so pop in a few now when they are widely available — and many are already budding and beginning to flower.
