Perennial charm

Japanese windflowers are putting on growth ahead of their autumn flowering. Now is a good time to source new plants, or dig up and divide existing clumps to spread the love, writes JUDY HORTON

Japanese windflowers are a picture of elegance, with cheerful, open flowers swaying on long stems

Windflower is an underwhelming name for a plant, conjuring up an image of a timid specimen hunkering down to protect itself from the slightest breeze. But Japanese windflower evokes an entirely different picture, of a flower with Japanese elegance and clarity combined with modesty.

Japanese windflowers (Anemone spp.) aren’t all that modest, though. In fact, they’re garden standouts. That’s partly because of their height – they can reach upwards of 1m – but mostly because of their attractive, open-faced flowers. These sway on top of slender, surprisingly strong stems that emerge from clumps of soft, grape-like foliage (grape anemone is another common name). They come mostly in pink, purple-pink and white, with single or semi-double rows of petals, and appear in late summer and autumn, just when we feel like a change from the strident flower colours that seem to dominate at that time of year.

My favourite is A. ‘Honorine Jobert’, which was bred by a Frenchman in the 1850s, as there’s something especially charming about the simplicity of its clear white, single blooms with contrasting yellow stamens. The cerise-pink petals of A. ‘Bowles’s Pink’ fade to a lighter shade near the outer edges, while A. ‘Serenade’ has poppy-like pink blooms with overlapping petals, and A. ‘Pamina’ is a compact form with deep pink, double flowers and a neat growth habit that makes it useful for pots. All are good cut flowers, but they are probably best used in informal, naturalistic floral displays.

captivating beauties

Japanese windflowers, like a number of plants associated with Japan, really came from China. But they were introduced to the wider world when recorded growing in Japan by the great Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg, who published his book Flora Japonica in 1784.

And don’t ask about the botanic name. It varies from Anemone japonica var. hybrida, A. x hybrida, A. hupehensis and A. vitifolia to other combinations and, these days, Eriocapitella x hybrida. See what I mean? Japanese windflower is so much easier and more pleasant. Suffice to say, these plants have been grown and hybridised for so long that they are far removed from their natural form.

Japanese windflowers are particularly useful for filling the understorey beneath established trees, where they can enjoy dappled summer shade. Small to medium deciduous

trees are best for underplanting, as their roots aren’t too fiercely competitive. Windflowers can cope with full morning sun in cooler climates, but must always have moisture in summer. Having said that, they can’t stand wet feet, and in poorly drained spots they will simply rot away in misery.

The plants die back in winter, then wake up to spread by underground runners during the growing season. In fact, if they’re happy, they can become thuggish and may need to be kept firmly under control. But allow the plants a certain amount of freedom and you’ll be rewarded with a massed display that ripples in tune with the autumn breezes.

They can be bordered with complementary plantings of bedding begonia, diascia, tiarella or dwarf alstroemeria, and backgrounded with stand-up-for-themselves shrubs such as hydrangeas, sasanqua camellias and gardenias. White windflowers are particularly valued as part of an all-white, Sissinghurst-inspired section of the garden.

planting & propagating

Japanese windflowers are mostly sold when in full bloom, but it’s worth chasing them now at garden centres or online so they can establish before the flowering season. Spring is also a good time to divide established plants, so if a gardening friend has some windflowers to spare, water the bed well the day before, then lift the clump carefully with a garden fork. Clean off the soil and gently break the clump into two or three sections, making sure there are roots on each piece. Plant these out in your garden at the same soil level as before, and keep them moist while they re-establish.

Another way to propagate these plants is to take root cuttings in winter. Dig out the plant and cut off a thick, healthy root. Replace the plant, and cut the root into two or three pieces. Lay these horizontally on top of moist potting mix, cover, and keep in a cool, shaded spot until the new shoots appear. Transplant into the garden in late spring.

Established Japanese windflowers are easy-care plants. Prune the stems after flowering, and cut any dead foliage to the ground in late winter. Fertilise in spring with a slow-release plant food. Keep the plants well mulched, ideally with chopped-up fallen leaves from the trees overhead, and make sure they don’t dry out in summer. Every 10 years or so, if they are looking a bit crowded, you might decide to dig up and divide the clumps. Apart from that, simply leave them to do their own thing.