Japanese anemone ‘Splendens’

Anemone hupehensis var. japonica ‘Splendens’ (Japanese anemone ‘Splendens’) grows best in full-sun to part-shade, although too much shade can cause taller plants to flop. Plants attract many kinds of pollinators but are most attractive to honeybees and bumble bees.

Despite its common name, this member of the Ranunculaceae is actually native to China and considered naturalized in Japan for centuries. In its native and naturalized range, A. hupehensis var. japonica inhabits scrub lands, grassy slopes, and stream banks.

Anemone hupehensis var. japonica ‘Splendens’ grows to 75 cm (2.5 ft) tall with a 45 cm (1.5 ft) spread. Japanese anemone grows well in soil of an average fertility and medium moisture, with some improvements in flowering when grown in slightly alkaline soils. The species and most cultivars grow in USDA Zones 4-8, with winter mulching helping plants survive winters in colder climates.

Individual plants under garden conditions can quickly form large, dense colonies. The root system of Japanese anemone is fibrous, but will produce prolific suckers. Plants should be installed in an area where either control of suckering can be managed or a large colony is desired.

A. ‘Splendens’ produces spectacular pinkish-white to pale-rose flowers on multi-branched inflorescences from August to September/October. Plants attract many kinds of pollinators, but are most attractive to honeybees and bumble bees. After flowering, fluffy white seed heads look like balls of cotton floating in the late fall breeze. Lurie Garden has three Japanese anemones in its plant palette–A. hupehensis var. japonica ‘Splendens’, A. hupehensis ‘Praecox’, and A. x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’. Currently, most plants appear to be A. ‘Splendens.’. Garden staff wonder if hybridization among the three cultivars promoted by the plethora of pollinators drawn to plants has resulted in introgression of the three cultivars into one color form.