Anemone 'Whirlwind'

Anemone 'Whirlwind': Twisted White Petals That Glow at Dusk

Semi-double white flowers with twisted petal tips, like they got caught in a gust and decided they liked it. 'Whirlwind' is a tall, breezy finale for fall. MESSY HAIR, DON'T CARE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Anemone × hybrida 'Whirlwind'
• Common Name: Japanese Anemone, Windflower
• Height: 90–100 cm (3–3.3 ft) in flower
• Spread: 45–60 cm (1.5–2 ft), slowly widening by rhizomes
• Flowers: Semi-double, white, about 5–6 cm (2–2.5 in) across, with twisted petal tips and yellow stamens
• Bloom Time: Late summer to fall (August to October)
• Foliage: Dark green, coarsely lobed leaves in a low clump

Where to Plant: White flowers glow in low light, so give it a spot you see in the evening or along a path in light shade. It suits the middle or back of a border and looks right at home in front of a fence.

Companion Plants: Sanguisorba 'Little Angel' adds burgundy flowers at 20 to 30 cm in front from June into early fall. Rudbeckia 'Goldblitz' brings yellow daisies from June to September, bright beside white. Filipendula 'Venusta' towers behind at up to 240 cm with pink plumes in summer. Give the group full sun or partial sun.

Plant Care: Plant in spring, after the last frost, in rich, moist, well-drained soil. It does best with morning sun and some afternoon shade. It can take full sun if the soil stays evenly moist. Water through its first season and mulch the first winter. It may sulk for a year, then spread by underground runners once established. Thin or divide it every few years in spring if it wanders. Leave the fluffy seed heads in fall, and cut stems back in late fall or early spring. Tall stems in deep shade may lean, so give it decent light.

History: Japanese anemones trace back to Chinese species that reached Europe in the 1840s. 'Whirlwind' is an old American selection, discovered in New York in 1887 and also sold in Europe as 'Wirbelwind'.

Final Thoughts: Plant it at the back where it can toss its petals around. Bees and butterflies follow it everywhere. A WHIRLWIND ROMANCE, EVERY SINGLE YEAR.