5 Japanese anemones for a border display

Japanese anemone 'Andrea Atkinson'

With its height of 1.20 m, the anemone ‘Andrea Atkinson’ certainly stands out in gardens. From mid-summer to autumn, its tall flower stems bear single flowers of pure white.

Japanese anemone ‘Andrea Atkinson’

Use this whiteness and its ability to thrive in partial shade to brighten up a woodland garden by playing with green foliage and shades of white. Invite ferns such as Athyrium, Dryopteris, or Matteuccia, with their more or less dark green, finely divided fronds. Add the hardy geranium ‘Silverwood’, with its small, sparkling white flowers, and hostas, which have leaves of varying sizes and shades depending on the varieties.

Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert'

The autumn anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ is one of the most cultivated varieties. With a height of 1.20 m and a spread of 50 cm, it stands out in borders. Its large single white flowers showcase a central crown of yellow stamens that add a decorative effect to this variety.

Japanese anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’

Utilise the height and spread of this white Japanese anemone to bring lightness along a rustic fence. Pair it with tall daisies like Leucanthemum ‘Polaris’ to enhance the wild aspect, Phlox paniculata ‘David’, with its slender appearance, and monardas, which are stunning in a perennial border. The constructed elements of the fence will come alive with this lush vegetation!

Japanese anemone 'Whirlwind'

The Japanese anemone ‘Whirlwind’ is also part of the category of anemones reaching 1.20 m in height. It produces beautiful double flowers with undulating petals, white with a pink-tinted reverse, from August to October.

Anemone ‘Whirlwind’

Pair it with graphic foliage to brighten a shaded bed and contrast with its pure white flowering. To accompany it, mix varieties of hostas such as ‘Wide Brim’, ‘Patriot’, ‘Autumn Frost’, or ‘Blue Angel’. Their foliage, with varied shapes and colours, will enhance a shaded corner of the garden.

Japanese anemone 'Rubra Plena'

The anemone ‘Rubra Plena’ is one of the tallest Japanese anemones, reaching 1.5 m in height. Its semi-double, dark pink to purple flowering brightens up borders from September to November.

Japanese anemone ‘Rubra Plena’

Utilise its height to create a very colourful vertical display as this variety pairs beautifully with giant asters such as laevis ‘Calliope’, novae-angliae ‘Barrs Blue’, or novae-angliae ‘Andenken an Alma Pötschke’, which have generous and colourful blooms. Add rudbeckias like maxima or rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’, with their large star-shaped daisy-like flowers, or goldenrods, solidago flexicaulis ‘Variegata’ or rugosa, with their long yellow flower spikes. The tall flower stems will not only fill the space and bloom from summer to autumn but will also attract pollinating insects, allies of gardeners.

Japanese anemone 'Rosenschale'

From August to October, the Japanese anemone ‘Rosenschale’ produces tall floral stems of 1.20 m with semi-double flowers at the tips, pink with a purple reverse. It does not require staking despite its height.

Japanese anemone ‘Rosenschale’

This Japanese anemone will stand out in an autumn scene alongside grasses and late-flowering perennials like the essential Asters. Plant it with a slender Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ against a backdrop of Miscanthus ‘Malepartus’ paired with the stunning Aster ‘Violetta’. In the foreground, install a carpet of Aster dumosus ‘Samoa’ and Anaphalis triplinervis.

For further reading

• Find more combinations with Japanese anemones in our dedicated advice sheet: Japanese Anemones: 8 Ideas for Successful Combinations.
• Once you have selected the white-flowered Japanese anemone varieties, let our comprehensive guide lead you: Japanese Anemones: Planting and Care.
• Discover our advice sheet Japanese Anemone with White Flowers: 10 Varieties to Discover.
• Check out our 5 Favourite Double-Flowering Japanese Anemone Varieties