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Japanese anemones with short flower stems

rose.lewis76Fpr_OkcJrose.lewis76Fpr_OkcJ Posts: 10
in Problem solving
Hi everyone. I've been googling this problem for a while now and I can't seem to find anyone else who has experienced the same issue. My white Japanese anemones have loads of healthy looking foliage but the flower stems are always so short that they don't rise above the leaves to show themselves.

I see loads of them around the area (London) with really tall flowers way above the leaves in all sorts of conditions but my flowers seem shy. I planted them 4 years ago and they've been the same ever since. I have two lots bought from two different places with several plants in each and they're all the same.

I have a dry, shady garden with 4 mature trees so I thought it might be the moisture level, but this year we've had so much rain that doesn't seem so likely any more.

If anyone has any thoughts I'd love to hear them.

Thanks!
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Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Hi Rose and welcome to the forum
    It may be that you have Anemone White Swan which is a lot shorter that the usual tall Japanese anemones

    White Swan-
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/281271/Anemone-Wild-Swan-Macane001-(PBR)/Details

    White Japanese anemone-
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/92654/anemone-x-hybrida/details

    If you do have White Swan you can tell by the pale blue on the back of the petals

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • rose.lewis76Fpr_OkcJrose.lewis76Fpr_OkcJ Posts: 10
    Hi Pete, thanks for your answer and for the welcome. I've looked back through my orders and I'm pretty sure mine are

    Anemone × hybrida Honorine Jobert

    Certainly no blue on the back of the petals although that sounds lovely!


  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Just had a look at the ones you have and yes, the flowers are almost in the clouds!
    The only thing I wonder, is the clump you have quite congested and needs thinning out?

    See what others come up with

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Drier conditions will also make a difference. The whites definitely perform better across the board in a moister soil  :)
    Flower stems on A. Honorine Jobert should easily make around 3 feet in height. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • rose.lewis76Fpr_OkcJrose.lewis76Fpr_OkcJ Posts: 10
    Thanks for your thoughts. I might try moving one of the plants to the irrigated area of the garden to test both theories at once.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Good idea @rose.lewis76Fpr_OkcJ - it's always good to play about if you have several plants, and see what works best for your plot. 
    It's that classic motto - right plant, right place. The better the conditions you can offer, the better the plant thrives.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    My Honorine Jobert flower at about 3 feet on dry sandy soil, even in a dry year, so I don't think it's lack of moisture that's the problem. I wonder if you have some kind of genetic sport that makes shorter flower stems.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That's interesting @JennyJ. I don't have a lot of experience with dry soil here! The whites definitely do very well in damp soil, but perhaps it's also soil type for the OP's situation?
    They aren't as invasive as the pink ones in wetter conditions. I know some people find the pink ones a real nuisance, although they never seem to be too difficult here either.
     
    Perhaps they aren't H. Jobert then. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I had a pink one once and decided to get rid of it because it was a yucky muddy pink and didn't go with the other things near it. It took years......
    HJ does spread a bit here but isn't a nuisance. I think it's more lush and more floriferous with more moisture (a friend of mine has it).
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • rose.lewis76Fpr_OkcJrose.lewis76Fpr_OkcJ Posts: 10
    Yeah, I'm not a fan of the pink ones, but then I'm not a fan of pink in general. I have read that it's a nuissance for some people but it has never caused any problem for me, I just want to see the lovely flowers!

    Thanks for all your thoughts.
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