Saturday, October 10, 2009

Plant of the Month-October 2009

From In the Garden


Japanese anemones are a favored plant of mine and my choice for October's Plant of the Month. I had never heard of them until about three years ago when one of my garden club mentors and friend (Sandy-thanks!!!) offered me some plants from her garden. The two perennials she gave me were Verbena bonarienis and Japanese anemones. These two plants are some favorites of mine! Today's spotlight is on the Japanese anemone.The Japanese anemones are a faithful plant. They diligently return to the garden each spring without fail and are not fussy plants. This is always a good thing! Their big presence and sweet leaves make a bold statement in shade and part sun gardens (in the south).The anemones begin putting out their fat little buds in mid-August here in my garden. The buds alone are a fun trait of the plant but just wait until the buds open! Dynamite! The really cool thing about this plant is that it seems more like a spring bloomer than a fall bloomer. It is a nice change from all the mums and asters we traditionally see in the fall garden. I grow the white ones-for now, but they come in other colors such as pink. This year has been a bumper year for the Japanese anemones and they are simply shining in my garden this October. That is why I have chosen them as my Plant of the Month. Runners up were lantana and asters (Tartarian).What is your October Plant of the Month?

in the garden....

36 comments:

  1. I added these this year and I am eager for them to increase and be beautiful next year.
    donna

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  2. My anemones are past blooming time...I wish they were still blooming...they would look good with the false dragonhead and native asters! BTW, native asters are my favorite October flower. gail

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  3. Love anemones! Great pick for plant of the month!! They're so lovely and delicate, your's are gorgeous en masse!

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  4. Donna, They are wonderful indeed. You'll love them and they will increase.

    Gail, My anemones are in their glory right now and I am loving them. I've spread them around so more next year too. I do like those native asters-they are splendid too!

    Lzyjo, They are great indeed. Such a nice plant. My friend has promised me some pink ones next spring. I can't wait!

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  5. Wonder if they will grow here? They are beautiful and I love plants that aren't fussy or prissy!

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  6. I love Anemones too. I can't pick one flower for October, but my top two are Swamp Sunflower and Aromatic Aster.

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  7. I've never had any of these - in fact I have a hard time saying the name. ;-)
    I think on a normal year my October plant would be Dahlias but also Sedum October plant blooms it's heart out now - and I think it's sometimes called October Daphne.

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  8. Is it October? aughhhh!! Will have to go and look to see who is still blooming.

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  9. They are so very pretty that I can see why you would pick them. I still have Dahlias blooming that are stunning but I would have to pice the pumpkin blooms for a plant of the month as the are still making huge blooms all over the place and I do mean huge. The flowers are as big as a dinner plate!!!!

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  10. Darla, I think they grow in Zones 4-8. They need shade the further south you go and actually do quite well in the shade even here.

    Sweet Bay, I am hearing more and more about that swamp sunflower and think I may be going on a scouting mission soon. They are so sunny. What is the aromatic aster?

    Linda, I noticed the October you sent me just yesterday and it is doing fabulous. I'm looking forward to it growing in. Anemones are very good plants and would do well for you. They can be hard to find unless you look for them. I've seen them in big box stores-occasionally.

    Janet, Yup, sorry to say it is October:( Time sure does fly. Welcome back.

    Mom, You should send me some pictures of those pumpkins and of Josh. I'd love to see the dahlias too.

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  11. i have to say these are lovely...i love anything white blooming in the garden.

    i really love all the woodland wildflowers blooming right now...they surround our property and make a nice frame.
    happy autumn.

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  12. Yikes... these are gorgeous! Good choice for plant of the month, and in my area the plant of the month is Asters. They even bloom with the snow we had. Now that's a tough plant!
    I like the white Anemone, a bit of heaven there.
    Rosey

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  13. Yay! These are in our school courtyard and I've been wondering what they are. I especially love the dark green foliage and they seem to be pretty pest resistant, too. They're growing in part shade too - bonus!!!

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  14. Tina, as always, I learned something new from your post! Your blog is a great well of information. In my garden, fuchsia and dahlia could be plants of the month. Can you believe? Not asters, not mums, but these two summer plants. Something is going on in the NW. Maybe, we won't have a rain season this year? Ha-ha!

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  15. These show up in so many blogs. I am going to research to see if they'll survive hot and humid. I can do part shade for them.

    My plant of the month has to be Cassia alata -- Candlesticks -- big and bold and yellow, a host for Sulphur butterflies.

    Click my name to visit the post that features them at the end.

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  16. Wonderful looking little flowers Tina.
    From my garden the Lantana's are blooming nicely. Of course the mum's are at it to. So to be fair I must choose the mum as I have different colors & they are gorgeous. Although I have different colors of the Lantana's. Boy, it sure is hard to choose. I just enjoy them all.

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  17. You asked about the Cassia alata, Tina. Some call it Senna alata. It should thrive for you as a summer annual. I start mine indoors, but they just sit there all summer looking forlorn until suddenly in September, they take off!

    I forgot to say I'm crazy about lantana, too, the trailing kind that doesn't seed about.

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  18. Nell Jean, I am going to look for it for sure. I've never even heard of it before. Thanks so much for the info it sure is pretty.

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  19. I read this post earlier today and decided I'd see what I would call my October plant of the month while I was doing some cleanup. I love Japanese anemones, and do have some, but they aren't looking as nice as yours. I like how you have them with lantana. Mine stayed really short this year.
    I'd have to say my roses and hardy fuchsias are still really going the strongest right now.

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  20. I'm on late, trying to get afew projects done, repairs mostly...the snow will be flying soon!
    At first I thought these were short like bunch berries but the last photo really grabs the feel of them, stunning! I can see why you picked them. Asters are big right now but mom's pumpkin blooms look like squid they are so big!

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  21. Tina, these look like such great plants. After having seen them on other blogs, too, I now wish I had planted some. Maybe I can remember next spring to look for some.

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  22. A crazy flower for October plant of the month...but my orange and yellow profusion zinnas are really pretty right now. They do so well in summer, then have perfect color for fall! I just love them!

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  23. beauties!!
    I'm going to look for them here, and team it up with asters. thanks for posting..

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  24. Lovely flowers. My favourite plant of the month has to be the one I helped my wife carry yesterday in a pot to the front garden. Hyacinths (sp?). They are blue, or somewhat bluish and ever so elegant. Love them.

    Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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  25. I love anemones!

    I planted three small pots of anemone in spring, thinking that I had them shaded enough. Shortly though, one got toasted, so I planted tall agastache in front of the other two (which means that I don't have a suitable place for them. Those two have lush, green leaves now.

    I need to find a better place for them - is it okay to move them now, or should I wait until spring?

    Thanks,
    Freda

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  26. Cameron, I think it is better moving anemones in the spring time, but I was just out there dividing some of mine this time of year so go figure. I think you'd be okay to divide them this time of year you are a most experienced gardener and can pull them through. Lots of compost and moisture don't hurt either. I find they like shade in our hot summer.

    Everyone have a great day!

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  27. Tina, I LOVE Japanese anemones, and last year was awed by them. They bloomed into the late fall and they were gorgeous. THis year, a few came up and put out some very wimpy blooms...during the summer! Now, there are NONE blooming. I think they go in cycles of every few years, from what I've read. I am hoping to hit the jackpot again next year. Yours are magnifique!

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  28. I love Japanese anenomes and have tried many times to dig bits up from friends to transplant. This year I brought some back from Dad's in my suitcase and potted into a plant pot when I got home to nurture them along. They grew well and had one small flower. Now they are rooted well I have planted in the garden and hopefully they will survive the winter.

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  29. Those anemones are lovely ... no wonder they're your plant of the month! We can't grow them here so I enjoy seeing them on other blogs. I think my plant right now would be Toad Lilies. Although the asters are showier, those toad lily blooms make my heart sing.

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  30. Those are a good one, I love their leaves all on their own and their curiously tall flower stems are a bonus. I think in my garden the best October plants are the grasses blooming, I couldn't bear to single one out!

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  31. These blooms are so pure and bright! And tall! I have anemones that look similar but they bloom in the spring only. I would say my fav plant this month is the 'Attumn Joy' sedum. Deep, deep red now and still holding up pretty good ;)
    Lynn

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  32. They are so beautiful. I wonder how they would hold up here in Texas. I may have to try them.
    Debbie

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  33. Oh I love those, Tina! Ours would have been more of a September plant of the month though. I would love to trade you some Prince Henry for some whites! Our October plant of the month might be the wild ageratum or asters, or dahlias or maybe muhly. :-)
    Frances

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  34. So pretty! This month for me would have to be mushrooms as they are popping up all over LOL....

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  35. I'm surprised I didn't comment here yet. I love your anemones! Maybe I didn't yet, because I need some time to decide what my plant of the month would be. I'm still not sure, but this year, it may be Fireworks goldenrod. Next year, if I get more anemones planted, they may win the title.

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  36. I agree these are a lovely plant when they flower, but they are very invasive here in my garden in New Zealand. Once they get into the roots of something precious they are almost impossible to remove

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