Re: spreading Japanese anemones

Hi Barbara -

Japanese Anemones (Anemone xhybrida) will take over EVERYTHING in a well 
cultivated garden bed.  The trick is to relegate them to some out of the 
way spot where they can be viewed in bloom but aren't anywhere near 
something that might suffer from their competition.  Also, in good garden 
soil, they rampage all around.  In poor soils, they are more restrained and 
still thrive.

One of the most successful planting I ever had was many years ago at a 
house in the central valley of Calif.  In an out of the way corner, where 
nothing else was planted, a colony had taken over the area exclusively.  In 
their season, they were a nice addition to the landscape, with their 
beautiful tall stems topped with delicate (in this case) white 
blossoms.  Being somewhat out of the way, when in decline, they were easy 
to ignore.  When completely dormant in the dry & hot summer, they were not 
missed.  In the cooler, wetter months, their basal foliage was a nice 
addition to that area.

Many people make the mistake of planting something like this close to a 
path of near an entrance, and so their invasiveness or dramatic decline 
becomes a real problem.  A tall flowering plant such as this can be placed 
quite a ways off in the garden and still be seen to advantage in their 
prime.  The white is especially good against a dark background, the pink 
against a yellow green or chartreuse foliage, or even an interesting 
colored wall.  If you situate this plant some distance from more demur 
items, you will never be concerned about it being such a 'thug'.  And 
growing it dry will also help keep it in check.

I once saw a garden created by local avant-garde landscaper Topher Delany, 
who honestly admits she is not interested in plants but in the effect they 
can create.  She planted Japanese Anemones on either side of a long, narrow 
walkway.  When in flower, they did create a very interesting effect, but 
the ultimate floppiness of the tall flower stems and the invasive tendency 
of the plant soon caused the whole thing to become ridiculously 
unmanageable!  (Sometimes its important to know your plants)

Regards,
Sean O.

At 10:28 AM 4/1/00 -0800, you wrote:
>I love my Japanese anemones but they spread much more
>vigorously than I expected--up between bricks on the
>otherside of the railroad tie barrier, around the base of
>the barriers on all sides, etc.
>
>Is there a way to curb them? I'd love to have them in
>another spot but don't dare lest they take over everything
>else in the area.
>
>Barbara


Sean A. O'Hara                       sean.ohara@groupmail.com
h o r t u l u s   a p t u s          710 Jean Street
'a garden suited to its purpose'     Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ask me about the worldwide Mediterranean gardening discussion group
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index