Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by WATANABE Hitoshi 渡辺仁 / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by WATANABE Hitoshi 渡辺仁 / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →
Japanese Anemone
Anemone hupehensis
Also comes in white.
Japanese Anemone blooms from August through October.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Japanese Anemone
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 3 ft tall and 1.6 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Japanese Anemone
Plant Japanese Anemone in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8 range, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from August to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Good to know about Japanese Anemone
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
All parts are a buttercup-family irritant. Fresh sap can blister skin, and eating any part irritates the mouth and gut, causing drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea in animals. per NC State and Missouri Botanical
Worth knowing
Despite the name, 'Japanese anemone' is mostly hybrids from China, not Japan, and botanists have recently moved these plants into a new genus, Eriocapitella. per NC State
Warm-end zones need shade
In zone 8 or the hot South it needs afternoon shade and steady moisture to avoid scorch; it performs best in cooler zones 4 to 7. per Clemson and Wisconsin
Clump width vs colony
Reported width varies wildly: one clump runs about 0.3 to 0.45 m, but by underground runners it builds a colony to 1.2 to 1.8 m. Plan for the colony. per NC State and Missouri Botanical
Deer and rabbit resistant
Deer and rabbits leave it alone: the acrid, irritant buttercup-family foliage is the same chemistry that can blister skin, and browsers avoid it. per NC State
Slow to establish
New plants settle in slowly and flower sparsely at first, becoming free-flowering only from about the second year. Be patient and do not move it early. per Illinois and Clemson
Late-season pollinator forage
The open, stamen-rich flowers may be visited by bees and butterflies, offering some forage late in the season when many other perennials have finished. per Wisconsin
What pairs well with Japanese Anemone
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Rhododendron
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 5.9 ft, for the layer behind it.
Bergenia
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; echoes the pink.
Goatsbeard
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; taller at 3.9 ft, for the layer behind it; a soft color beside the pink.
Hellebore
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, extending the bed's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; echoes the pink.
Beautyberry
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; taller at 4.9 ft, for the layer behind it; echoes the pink.
Northern Sea Oats
Shares part shade and moderate water; opens in midsummer and overlaps into this one's season; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Climbing Hydrangea
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; a soft color beside the pink.
Camellia
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midwinter, extending the bed's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 6.6 ft, for the layer behind it; they only overlap in zones 7 to 8.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.