Common Name: windflower
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Ranunculaceae
Native Range: Northern China
Zone: 4 to 7
Height: 2.00 to 4.00 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: August to October
Bloom Description: Pink with rose shadings
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Naturalize
Flower: Showy, Good Cut
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Rabbit, Deer
Culture
Best grown in organically rich, humusy, evenly moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Soils must not be allowed to dry out. Plants are best sited in part shade. Foliage tends to burn in hot, dry, sunny summer conditions. Plants do not perform well in the deep South (south of USDA Zone 7). Avoid wet, poorly drained soils, particularly in winter. Plants appreciate a winter mulch in cold winter climates. Plants may be slow to establish, but, once established, will aggressively naturalize in the garden by spreading rhizomes to form large colonies. Propagate by root cuttings in winter (perhaps most effective) or by division in spring.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Anemone tomentosa, commonly called Japanese anemone or windflower, is a vigorous, fibrous-rooted perennial that provides a late summer to early fall bloom (August to October) of showy, slightly cup-shaped, pale pink flowers (2-3” diameter) with darker rose shadings and a ring of yellow center stamens. Mostly basal foliage typically grows in a spreading mound to 2' tall with wiry-but-graceful flower stems rising above the foliage in late summer to 3-4' tall. This anemone is native to open grassy slopes in north and central China. Each flower has 5 or 6 tepals. Palmate medium green basal and stem leaves are white woolly on the undersides. Leaf scapes are also woolly.
Genus name is often said to be derived from the Greek word anemos meaning wind.
Specific epithet is in reference to the tomentose scapes and leaf undersides.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Watch for leaf spot, powdery mildew, downy mildew, rust and leaf/stem smut. Caterpillars, beetles, slugs and nematodes may be troublesome. Taller plants may need some staking or other support.
Uses
Perennial borders, cottage gardens, woodland gardens. Good fresh cut flower.