Anemone 'Dainty Swan'

Anemone 'Dainty Swan': White Petals With a Pink Secret

White flowers with a rose-pink reverse, gliding through a bloom season most perennials can only dream about. 'Dainty Swan' looks delicate and works like it has rent due. GRACE UNDER PRESSURE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Anemone hybrid ('Macane005')
• Common Name: Windflower, Hybrid Anemone
• Height: 46–61 cm (18–24 in)
• Spread: 46–61 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Large, white with a golden-yellow centre and a rose-pink reverse
• Bloom Time: Early summer to early fall (June to September)
• Foliage: Soft mid-green, lobed leaves on dark pinkish stems
• Features: Very long bloom season

Where to Plant: Plant it mid-border where it can fill the gap between early summer and fall bloom. It's a good size for a cottage garden, a lightly shaded bed or a large container. Put it near a path or patio so you catch the pink petal backs in the evening.

Companion Plants: Pair these white, purple-backed flowers with peonies for spring and asters for fall in a sunny or part-shade bed. Paeonia 'White Wings' opens single white peonies at 80 cm in May and June. Hemerocallis Happy Ever Appster™ 'Red Hot Returns' adds cherry-red daylilies at 61 to 71 cm from July to September. Aster 'Wood's Purple' brings purple daisies at 30 to 40 cm from August to October. Calamagrostis 'Avalanche' rises behind at 90 to 120 cm with white-centred blades.

Plant Care: Plant in fertile, well-drained soil that stays evenly moist but never soggy. Mix compost into heavy clay before planting. In full sun, water during dry spells. Light afternoon shade keeps it happier through a hot July. Mulch to keep the roots cool. Cut back spent flower stems to keep it tidy, and cut the foliage down in late fall or early spring. It forms a clump and spreads slowly. Divide in spring if it gets crowded.

History: The Swan anemones came out of Elizabeth MacGregor's nursery in Scotland and include the Himalayan species Anemone rupicola, which brings the coloured petal backs and long flowering season. The first of the family, 'Wild Swan', won Plant of the Year at the 2011 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Final Thoughts: Plant it where the breeze can flip the petals and show off the pink. Deer leave it alone, bees don't. ELEGANCE ON AUTOPILOT.