Anemone x hybrida Rosenschale - Anémone du Japon, Anémone japonaise

The Anemone × hybrida ‘Rosenschale’ is a variety of Japanese anemone selected for its large semi-double flowers in a deep pink, edged with a darker pink and distinctly purplish on the reverse. They bloom in profusion at the end of summer, at the top of branched stems that need no staking. Their broad petals overlap irregularly around a large centre of yellow stamens. Very hardy and floriferous, this perennial for moist ground is placed at the back of a slightly shaded border or at the edge of a light woodland; its flowers are also used in cut flower arrangements.

This herbaceous perennial belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. Its stems and leaves die back with the first frosts; its rootstock produces new shoots in spring. The Anemone × hybrida group comprises horticultural hybrids derived from Asian anemones with autumn flowering, notably A. japonica and A. vitifolia, native to China, the Himalayas and neighbouring regions. 'Rosenschale’ was selected in Germany by Heinz Hagemann in 1978. At the German Staudensichtung in 2005, it received a star, i.e. a ‘good’ rating, for its abundant flowering, the ornamental effect of its flowers and its very good garden performance. The plant first forms a low, dense clump, then its slender, upright, branched stems rise during summer. It reaches 80 to 100 cm in flower and can approach 1.20 m in rich, consistently moist soil, with a spread of 50 to 60 cm. Its rootstock produces short rhizomes that allow it to spread. The basal leaves, medium to dark green, measure 10 to 20 cm and divide into three toothed lobes, slightly hairy on the underside. Those on the stems are smaller. Flowering begins between late August and September, then continues into October. The rounded flower buds open into cups of 7 to 8 cm composed of six or seven petals. The flowers provide pollen for pollinating insects; the ripe fruits become cottony at the end of the season. This anemone withstands temperatures close to –23 °C and tolerates clay as well as a little lime. It takes two years to establish, then copes with moderate root competition. It performs best in an oceanic, cool continental or montane climate.

Plant this variety in groups of three to five in the middle of a border or in front of not-too-dense deciduous shrubs, giving it enough room to spread. It forms a fine duo with the anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ and its white corollas. The Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’, violet-blue, and a few Tricyrtis formosana ‘Dark Beauty’ with their small speckled flowers, are also excellent companions for late season. In a large border, the fine white spikes of Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Alba’ will weave between the cups of the anemones. All these perennials appreciate humus-rich soil that does not dry out too much in summer.

Our cut flower arrangement tip: cut the stems as soon as the first flower has just opened.