Anemone 'Honorine Jobert'

Anemone 'Honorine Jobert': Pure White Elegance, Still Going Strong

Pure white single flowers with golden stamens floating on tall stems in fall, while everything else is calling it a year. This anemone is elegance with perfect timing. THE LAST DANCE IS ALWAYS THE BEST.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Anemone × hybrida 'Honorine Jobert'
• Common Name: Japanese Anemone, Windflower
• Height: 90–120 cm (3–4 ft) in bloom
• Spread: 45–60 cm (1.5–2 ft), slowly spreading
• Flowers: Single, pure white with golden-yellow stamens and a green centre
• Bloom Time: Late summer to fall (September to October)
• Foliage: Dark green, deeply lobed leaves in a basal mound about 30–45 cm (12–18 in) tall
• Features: Perennial Plant of the Year® 2016, rabbit resistant, good for cutting

Where to Plant: Plant it toward the back of a border or along a woodland edge where its flowers can wave above shorter plants. It lights up part-shade corners in fall. It spreads by underground runners over time, so give it room or plant it where a colony is welcome.

Companion Plants: Ceratostigma plumbaginoides spreads a low carpet of blue flowers from August to October, right below the white anemones. Monarda 'Fireball' adds red flowers at 60 to 70 cm from July to September. Symphyotrichum novae-angliae grows up to 180 cm with purple asters in late summer. This is a strong fall bed for full sun or partial sun.

Plant Care: Plant in evenly moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. It handles clay if drainage is decent, but it dislikes both dry soil and wet winter feet. It flowers best in morning sun with afternoon shade. In full sun, keep it watered. Expect a slow first year. Once established, it spreads by rhizomes. Pull or dig up runners at the edge of the patch to keep it in bounds. Mulch to keep the roots cool. All parts are toxic if eaten, and the sap may irritate skin. Cut back in late fall or early spring. Divide in spring.

History: 'Honorine Jobert' was discovered in Verdun, France, in 1858 and is sometimes sold under the old name 'Alba'. More than 150 years later, the Perennial Plant Association named it the 2016 Perennial Plant of the Year®.

Final Thoughts: Let it settle in and it will fill the back of the border with white. Deer and rabbits keep their distance. CLASSIC WHITE NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE.