Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Anemonopsis macrophylla

The canning is done, at least for awhile and I was back in the garden all day today. This lovely little flower, or its plant, more properly, has been in the garden for at least 10 years. It didn't look especially happy where I had it, so this spring I moved it about 6 feet away where it wouldn't be so crowded. It must have appreciated the move because it bloomed for the first time. The flower is only about an inch and a half wide and down facing, so it took a bit of crawling and twisting to get this photo. I had totally forgotten what this was supposed to look like, it not having bloomed all this time. I even had to check the tag to see what it was called. I'm really pleased and hope it has lots more blooms next year since this seems to be all I'm going to get for this season. Now a little about the plant.
I did a google search and could only find nurseries in England and Germany who sell this, so I'm not sure you'll be able to find one. There is also a really expensive pure white flowered form, also not availabe except at Asiatica and they're closing any day now.
I didn't take a picture of the leaves, but they sort of remind me of an astilbe, and the plant is about the same size as one. The flowers are on wiry stems that can be up to 3 feet tall. (if mine had been that tall, I wouldn't have had to crawl on the ground to get the picture!) They need well-drained, humus rich soil in light to medium shade. It needs a sheltered spot as it doesn't like being in the wind. They will grow in zones 4-7 and are native to only a small area in Honshu Island, Japan.
I'll see if I can find something else unusual for tomorrow.
Jane

No comments: