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Why do my Japanese Anemone's look like this?
bluerose
Posts: 5
Can anyone shed any light on why my Japanese Anemone's look like this? My neighbours have them in their garden border next to mine and they look lovely.
My Autumn border isn't working out as planned, the Aster frikartii monch's that I loved haven't all come back. I think some plants are invading others.
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They look as if they've finished flowering to me. Mine always look a bit rough when they're done. I'd remove the spent heads so that they don't seed.
If they get very dry, they tend to look worse I think.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Maybe they got too dry, I wasn't able to water the border when I went away. My neighbours look great but they've been gardening for 40 years and know what they are doing :-O I'll cut them back as they look untidy, they didn't flower much.
How can I find out which plants don't like each other? I didn't know that was the case. I planned my border based on plants that would look good together. Not sure about the Japanese Anemone's now. In a few months when it's cooler I might try and move a few things. Its a learning curve :-)
Bluerose - can you do a pic of the whole plant and what's round it or nearby? That can help with advice.
For instance, are the anemones under a tree, or crowded by other planting? That will affect how they grow. I thought a could see some laurel or similar behind them which could be taking up a lot of water.
Don't get too worried by it though. You'll get help with sorting the problem. It might just mean moving them to a better location, and that can be done soon - or even now. Any extra info will help.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Don't cut them back yet! They look old and tired and dry to me but not dead. Allow them to die back in their own time and then cut off and compost the top growth. Next year, feed your border, mulch in spring and keep an eye on watering in dry periods. In my experience, aster will grow perfectly well with JA's though you may have to stop invasion attempts. However, slugs love aster and may have eaten all the emerging shoots so have a look for their remains - the aster, not slugs! - before you draw any conclusions.
I think the problem could be that you haven't been deadheading them which means the plant thinks it's done its job and just needs to produce seed now. Be warned about moving Jap Anem. You will only spread them to another place. I've been trying to get rid of the thugs for years but I'm still finding the odd one popping up.
Ageed with @Verdun
I have them in my garden and they rarely suffer from pests eating foliage. A good mulch/feed should help them next year
It looks like yours have past their flowering stage and gone into seed-production mode. The yellowish crowns appear after the petals have fallen. I would dead-head them and they may produce new buds.
Earwigs are notorious petal-eaters, so if new flowers emerge, check any that have curled up leaves and you many find them hiding inside. Slugs also may be a problem. They dont tend to eat the foliage but may eat the petals.
Thanks for all your replies. My internet has been down and I'm afraid I cut them back. I didn't think I needed to dead head them and so they must of stopped flowering early. I did wonder if I should be dead heading.
Do slugs like Asters? I've had terrible problems with them this year and they ate all 70 of my Cosmos. I can't use slug pellets because of the dog and hedgehogs. I tried egg shells and hand picking them at night but found beer traps were the only thing that worked. They love it. I don't have much Autumn colour now. My border looks like this compared to how it used to look! I'm missing my Cosmos also.
I do have Laurel at one end of the border. The border was originally a hedge of lilac trees that never flowered. It's now planted with Osmanthus burkwoodii, Campunla Pritchards Variety, Lavender and Geranium Wargrave Pink.
I did mulch with manure in spring but maybe not enough. The border isn't looking as planned!
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Hello Bluerose,
It looks very like that your plants have finished flowering, as those look like seed pods on the flower stalks!
Also on mine the foliage always look like yours after flowering, so I quickly chop them down and let fresh leaves grow!
"AND" they need lots of water when flowering or the flower stalks droop!
I lost three large strongly growing clumps of Aster frikartii monch's growing in my allotment last year, they all died at the same time with no reason!
Tonight the lady speaker said that hers had rotted without reason earlier this year, and had anyone else experienced the same, she was looking for answers but noone was able to help!
Cheers!
Once they've finally finished flowering, it's a good idea to cut the stalks down to prevent seeds dispersing to other parts of the garden.
I love my Japeanese Anenomes but they have a root system that is akin to ground elder or couch grass and the tiniest fragment left behind produces new plants within a couple of weeks.
One customer planted them and later regretted it as they are so stubborn to get rid of. If contained, they are a beautiful late-flowering plant, but if not, they can be a real nightmare.