Whirlwind Japanese Anemone Plants

Japanese anemone Whirlwind

Hold on to your hats: Whirlwind is coming and you're going to be blown away! Or impressed at the very least… This is a remarkable Japanese anemone, a perennial that will die back and return year after year, brightening up shady spots with its fabulous double flowers from late summer into autumn, just when your garden needs a boost. The flowers are daisy-like, the fresh white petals a little tousled, windswept perhaps, and arranged around a central green button, itself surrounded by a halo of yellow stamens. Its stems, elegantly branching and held high above a mound of handsome ivy-like mid-green leaves, are tall and wiry. The new buds are cute little things, pea-like and perfectly round, slowly opening from green to white. 

In the garden

Japanese anemones are firm favourites in the cottage garden. Planted in decent rich soil at the front or centre of a sunny or partly shaded border, they can be a little slow to establish, but once they get going, they'll spread to fill any available gap. If they become too widespread, they're easy to dig out. Like all Japanese anemones, Whirlwind doesn't like to dry out, so dig in plenty of garden compost or leaf mould when planting. Otherwise, this is a really low-maintenance perennial that just needs the spent flower stems and tatty leaves cutting back at the end of autumn.

In terms of planting companions, Whirlwind looks gorgeous alongside wafty buff-coloured grasses such as pennisetums, or other late-summer stars such as sedums. A generous planting in a large pot can be beautiful too, as long as you keep it well watered.

Features

• Colour: white with yellow centres
• Flowering: Aug-Sep
• Foliage: mid-green divided leaves
• Height: 90cm
• Spread: 40cm
• Spacing: 30cm
• Position: sun, part shade or shade
• Soil: any, including clay

Did you know?

Anemone comes from the Greek word anemos, for wind, and means 'daughter of the wind', explaining its other common name, windflower.

Dig in garden compost or leaf mould when planting, in sun or semi-shade. Space 30-40cm apart and water in well. Keep watered until established.

Keep watered until established. Cut down spent stems after flowering. Divide congested clumps in spring and dig up unwanted plants that have spread.