Thanks for all the comments. It's not much consolation to hear that I'm not the only one who has had problems with rampant plants. Unfortunately it's a bit late to contain my anemone as it's already colonised most of my garden. I don't want to use glyphosate or any weedkillers and it is impractical to remove all the other plants and then try to remove all the anemone runners by digging. From reading other people's horror stories, I already know that this approach is not the answer. Besides, I've got established roses, peonies, spring bulbs, many varieties of hardy geraniums, knautias, crocosmias, bergenias, clematis, hypericums, geums, asters, rudbeckias, etc competing for the same space as this anemone.
I'm not actually wanting to completely eradicate the anemones anyhow, so I think that I'm just going have to continue removing the leaves in the areas where they're swamping other plants. I should have explained that I do this by grabbing hold of several leaf stalks at a time and pulling them out along with the runner. This tends to hold them back for a while but they're very persistent and will soon spread back to the same area within a few weeks during the growing season. As I previously mentioned, I am quite fond of 'September Charm'. It didn't receive the prestigious AGM by the RHS for nothing. It has an abundance of large pretty flowers and is one of the longest flowering perennials in the garden. Furthermore, it still flowers well on long stalks despite the foliage being removed. However, I do now wish that I had not planted it in the open garden when I bought it about 10 years ago. Unfortunately though, it became well established within a season or two and began to spread before I'd realised my mistake. Strangely enough, I also planted the variety 'Honorine Jobert' in a shadier part of the garden at the same time as 'September Charm' and it has behaved itself much better in comparison, so it appears that not all hybrid varieties have the same amount of vigour, or perhaps it depends more on the planting site. Incidentally, I also bought the variety 'Ruffled Swan' a couple of years ago and this time I planted it in a large ceramic pot where it has done very nicely, and will remain. In fact it is just coming into full flower as I speak.
Good grief, I've been nurturing a young plant in a pot all summer to plant out this autumn...what on earth should I do.
I would keep it containerized if you want to ensure that it doesn't run rampant in your garden, peteS. Otherwise, grow it in an area where it doesn't have much room to spread (it WILL colonise the amount of space that you give it). It will probably look fine to begin with, but I guarantee that it will quickly produce runners which will spread under the soil. As you cannot see these runners, you'll have no way of knowing how far they have spread until you see new growth pushing through the soil. However, this new growth can easily be hidden by other plants and therefore you may not see it and remove the runners in time to stop it spreading even further. You'll be shocked how far it can spread within a few years. Having said that, you will probably be delighted if all you want to grow in your garden is a huge mass of Japanese anemones. Beware, it is a thug ! (albeit a beautiful one).
Good loam here but mine are not at all rampant, quite the opposite.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Yes - they are much better behaved in clay soil. I've never had a problem here, but the pink ones are apparently more difficult for some reason. I only grow white ones - hate the pale pink colour.
Perhaps chopping down hard round one you want to keep and putting a physical barrier in would work, but if you don't want to use a weedkiller on the others [it's worth considering Resolva] the only other method is to keep taking a hoe or scissors to any foliage you see. It's a long game though.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I had the same problem, I hadn't realised they were vigorous spreaders. They ended up growing through a clump of day lilies. The only way I managed to keep them in check was when I decided to remove all the day lilies (easier said than done) and then pulled out the anemones I could see. Of course, they kept coming back, so every time I spotted one I pulled it up, easy enough done if you've got the time.
This year however, I decided, due to not being able get out to buy plants, I would leave them to do their thing. They are lovely flowers, I've been cutting them for indoors. And, like @Palustris I'm moving house, so the new owners can love them, or not
We've got heavy clay here and it hasn't stopped my pink September Charm, in fact it's started to come up in the nearby lawn. I do think that the plant labels should specifically state whether any particular plant spreads by underground runners, so you can make an informed decision. Even the RHS Encyclopedia often doesn't mention whether they run or not. I try to be very cautious now about what plant I buy.
The pink ones are definitely less well behaved @Lizzie27, as I said earlier.
They are more vigorous here - the woman across the road has some, and there's a house not far from me that has quite a long run of them in a border too.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
Unfortunately it's a bit late to contain my anemone as it's already colonised most of my garden.
I don't want to use glyphosate or any weedkillers and it is impractical to remove all the other plants and then try to remove all the anemone runners by digging. From reading other people's horror stories, I already know that this approach is not the answer.
Besides, I've got established roses, peonies, spring bulbs, many varieties of hardy geraniums, knautias, crocosmias, bergenias, clematis, hypericums, geums, asters, rudbeckias, etc competing for the same space as this anemone.
I'm not actually wanting to completely eradicate the anemones anyhow, so I think that I'm just going have to continue removing the leaves in the areas where they're swamping other plants. I should have explained that I do this by grabbing hold of several leaf stalks at a time and pulling them out along with the runner. This tends to hold them back for a while but they're very persistent and will soon spread back to the same area within a few weeks during the growing season. As I previously mentioned, I am quite fond of 'September Charm'. It didn't receive the prestigious AGM by the RHS for nothing. It has an abundance of large pretty flowers and is one of the longest flowering perennials in the garden. Furthermore, it still flowers well on long stalks despite the foliage being removed.
However, I do now wish that I had not planted it in the open garden when I bought it about 10 years ago. Unfortunately though, it became well established within a season or two and began to spread before I'd realised my mistake.
Strangely enough, I also planted the variety 'Honorine Jobert' in a shadier part of the garden at the same time as 'September Charm' and it has behaved itself much better in comparison, so it appears that not all hybrid varieties have the same amount of vigour, or perhaps it depends more on the planting site.
Incidentally, I also bought the variety 'Ruffled Swan' a couple of years ago and this time I planted it in a large ceramic pot where it has done very nicely, and will remain. In fact it is just coming into full flower as I speak.
It will probably look fine to begin with, but I guarantee that it will quickly produce runners which will spread under the soil. As you cannot see these runners, you'll have no way of knowing how far they have spread until you see new growth pushing through the soil.
However, this new growth can easily be hidden by other plants and therefore you may not see it and remove the runners in time to stop it spreading even further. You'll be shocked how far it can spread within a few years.
Having said that, you will probably be delighted if all you want to grow in your garden is a huge mass of Japanese anemones. Beware, it is a thug ! (albeit a beautiful one).
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
I've never had a problem here, but the pink ones are apparently more difficult for some reason. I only grow white ones - hate the pale pink colour.
Perhaps chopping down hard round one you want to keep and putting a physical barrier in would work, but if you don't want to use a weedkiller on the others [it's worth considering Resolva] the only other method is to keep taking a hoe or scissors to any foliage you see. It's a long game though.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
This year however, I decided, due to not being able get out to buy plants, I would leave them to do their thing. They are lovely flowers, I've been cutting them for indoors. And, like @Palustris I'm moving house, so the new owners can love them, or not
I do think that the plant labels should specifically state whether any particular plant spreads by underground runners, so you can make an informed decision. Even the RHS Encyclopedia often doesn't mention whether they run or not. I try to be very cautious now about what plant I buy.
They are more vigorous here - the woman across the road has some, and there's a house not far from me that has quite a long run of them in a border too.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...