Anemone Little Summer Breeze

The Hybrid Anemone Little Summer Breeze is a compact perennial that offers abundant purple-pink flowering. This elegant plant blooms from July to autumn, producing beautiful flowers on sturdy stems, with open corollas surrounding a large golden yellow stamen. It has undeniable charm and simple beauty that complements other late summer and autumn blooms. It thrives in full sun or partial shade, in moist and rich soil.

The 'Little Summer Breeze' anemone belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. Like other hybrids derived from the Japanese anemone, it is a perennial plant with fibrous 'tubers' that form large, vigorous, and rounded tufts. The foliage is deciduous to semi-evergreen depending on the climate, deeply lobed, dark green, strongly veined on the underside, and hairy.

In this variety, the habit is particularly compact: the plant will not exceed 35 cm (14in) in height, and will be about 30 cm (12in) wide, making it easier to fit into your flower beds compared to its larger counterparts with a more imposing habit. The abundant flowering takes place from July to September, or even October, and is constantly renewed as long as the soil does not dry out too much. The flowers are solitary, on sturdy, upright stems. They first appear as delightful dark pink, oval, and fluffy buds, then open into simple yet delicate, slightly asymmetrical cups, shaded in pink and purple. The golden yellow centre is densely filled with stamens.  Anemones can live for years in the same spot, as long as the soil is rich.

The 'Little Summer Breeze' anemone requires a moist to wet soil that is especially well-drained to prevent the roots from rotting. If placed in full sun, the soil must remain consistently moist. In partial shade, it can tolerate short droughts once well-established, at the expense of its flowers. Make sure to find a location that is not too windy, to protect it from cold drafts that could also diminish its appeal in autumn. These plants prefer a rich soil: after a few years, it may be necessary to provide organic fertilizer, but regular mulching with dead leaves will prove very effective.

It will bring life to flower beds from summer to autumn, and can therefore accompany many other late summer blooms such as fuchsia 'Versicolor' , Rabdosia longituba, or late asters such as 'Stardust' Aster ageratoides, 'Beth Chatto' Aster divaricatus, or the New England asters and their numerous varieties. It can also be associated with fine foliage grasses for contrast, for example with Carex morowii 'Ice Dance'. They will also decorate large pots on the terrace from late summer until the first frost, and are excellent as cut flowers.