Japanese Anemone
The turning point in my adult life that led to an increased interest in flowers can be traced to these beauties. A beautiful patch of Japanese anemone bloom every year in a garden along an administrative building at a school I used to work at. They always welcomed the school year, dancing in the breeze of the last gasp of summer. They were lush and green with beautiful nodding heads. Sometimes I took the long way just so I could pass by them.
Now, as a flower farmer, I know they were anemone ‘Robustissima’. A mauve-pink single bloomer with tall stems.
We also grow ‘Honorine Jobert’, a beautiful tall single white variety. And ‘Fall in Love Sweetly’
They are considered a shade loving plant, but here in USDA zone 4/5, where our summers are comparatively mild, they do fine in full sun.
Japanese anemone bloom in the late summer and fall up to frost at our farm in Jay. Harvest in the early morning when the flowers are well hydrated. Torch the end of the stems to prevent wilting of flower stems, or use a holding solution. We avoid bought-in solutions here, preferring clean water and clean buckets for all flowers. For Japanese anemone, which can be prone to wilting, you might want to try a homemade holding solution of 1 part water to 1 part lemon-lime soda. This homemade solution has proven very close and in cases BETTER than commercial holding solution products. We’ll look into this more in a future post.
Japanese anemone also have beautiful, rugged foliage/leaves that are lovely for arranging.
Starting material:
Japanese anemone multiply quickly and they will also self sow. If you don’t need a large quantity right away, OR don’t have a large budget to invest in a new crop, I recommend ordering a few retail plants for delivery in the fall or spring. Get them in the ground and allow them to flower and go to seed their first year. After harvest the second year, begin to divide them. Bluestone Perennials carries a very nice collection of Japanese Anemone. For larger quantities, try Walter’s Gardens.
Propagation:
Japanese anemone spread readily by seed. They self-sow and form dense clumps, providing excellent ground cover and protection from weeds. They are also easy to divide in the fall after they have flowered. Dig up a plant and cut them into 2-inch pieces. Include some nodules on every section. The new growth will come from those points.