Anemone hupehensis Fantasy Red Riding Hood

Anemone hupehensis Fantasy Red Riding Hood is a compact cultivar of Japanese Anemone with brilliant magenta pink flowers, derived from the excellent Fantasy series. Well-suited for container gardening, it demonstrates excellent performance in borders and beds. The plant is covered in single flowers with vibrant colours, dark pink with a large yellow centre, which last well into the late season. This perennial possesses an indefinable charm, which pairs so well with the abundant flowering of asters and silver foliage. It thrives in partial shade, in moist and rich soil.

Japanese Anemone Red Riding Hood is a particularly floriferous perennial, belonging to the Ranunculaceae family. A descendant of Anemone hupehensis, native to central and western China, this low-growing and compact variety does not exceed 40 cm (16in) in all directions. Like other Japanese Anemones, it is a perennial plant with fibrous 'tubers' that form large, vigorous, and rounded clumps. The foliage of this variety is particularly healthy and disease-resistant. It is deciduous to semi-evergreen, depending on the climate, deeply cut, dark green, strongly veined on the underside, and hairy. Its flowering begins as early as July and continues until the first frost. The flowers are solitary, borne on sturdy, slender, and straight stems. They first appear as delightful oval and fluffy buds, then open into shallow, loosely cup-shaped flowers composed of a row of 5 petals. Their colour is magenta pink with a wide crown of yellow stamens. Japanese anemones can live for about ten years in the same location.

The Japanese anemone is one of the most beautiful autumn flowers. Light and graceful, it sways gently in the wind, unaffected by the first frosts. It decorates the garden or large pots on the terrace from late summer until the first frost. Perfect in the back of borders for the taller varieties, it blends its elegant flowering with the grace of Aster cordifolius like Aster cordifolius 'Blue Heaven' and the nostalgic charm of perennial Chrysanthemums. The Fantasy varieties are perfect in the centre or at the edge of borders, among Sea cinerarias and silvery Artemisias, where its magenta flower works wonders with their grey foliage. Place them also in front of a hedge of Hydrangeas and Spindle trees. The finely cut foliage of the anemones adds a beautiful dark green touch to flower bouquets. Sometimes invasive if it is happy, it easily self-seeds. Fortunately, it is quite easy to control its growth.