September is a time when some border plants come into their own, just as the rest of your summer flower plants are past their prime. A classic late flowerer is the pretty Japanese Anemone, a favourite with gardeners and the perfect choice for the Horticultural Trades Association’s (HTA) Plant of the Month for September.
Japanese Anemone, also known as the Windflower, can be grown in sun or shade and are good for lighting up a dark corner of the garden. They like well drained soil and often spread by themselves, creating new clumps that can be lifted and planted elsewhere.
There are lots of varieties to choose from, from white through to almost red and the plant flowers reliably every year from August through to October. Anemones are hardy and easy to grow so good for beginners, as well as being versatile around the garden in sun or shady places.
A multitude of flowers are produced throughout the summer and are ideal subjects for cut flowers, borders and rockery displays.
They are a firm favourite of award winning Gardeners’ World photographer, Jason Ingram. “Japanese Anemones are extremely photogenic flowers which brighten up the garden in late-summer or autumn, producing simple saucers in white and various shades of pink” he says. “They are a ‘must have’ border plant for the Autumn and put on a fantastic display in the period where most gardens are starting to look tired and over. I love that their beauty adds a whole new dimension of colour and texture to my garden.”
Recommended RHS AGM varieties include:
Anemone × hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’
Anemone hupehensis var. japonica ‘Pamina’
Anemone hupehensis ‘September Charm’
Japanese anemone ‘Queen Charlotte’
Nominated and agreed upon by British growers and retailers, the HTA’s Plant of the Month campaign highlights the plants that are widely available and looking especially good each month.
For more details about Plant of the Month, please visit
www.the-hta.org.uk/plantofthemonth