Fall in Love® Sweetly Japanese Anemone: Semi-Double Fall Color

Fall in Love® Sweetly Japanese anemone is just getting started when most of the garden is winding down. From late August into early fall, heavily branched stems carry semi-double, cup-shaped flowers 2½ to 3 inches across, with layered petals in rich rose pink around a green center and golden stamens. They float above a large, full mound of dark green, deeply lobed leaves.

It spreads slowly by rhizomes, so it fills in without taking over. Like other Japanese anemones, it prefers richer, evenly moist soil and some afternoon shade, which places it in a border near your lavender rather than in the lavender bed.

Fall in Love Sweetly at a glance

Building a fall display near lavender

Lavender gardens peak in early summer, then spend fall as silver mounds. Sweetly gives the rest of the property a second act. Plant it with ornamental grasses and sedum in a border that gets afternoon shade, and you have a strong fall scene: arching grass plumes, rusty sedum heads and rose pink anemones swaying above them.

Keep it a short walk from the lavender rather than beside it. Its moist, rich soil would rot lavender roots, and lavender's lean, dry bed would stress the anemone. Sketch both beds together in the Companion Plant Planner so the garden flows from summer purple to fall pink.

Planting and care

• When: spring planting gives roots time to settle before winter.
• Soil: fertile and humus-rich, evenly moist but never waterlogged. Wet winter soil rots the crowns.
• Light: afternoon shade helps prevent leaf scorch during hot, dry spells.
• Winter: mulch lightly the first year and leave the foliage standing until spring.
• Tidying: remove spent flower stems once blooming ends.
• Watch for: Japanese and blister beetles on the leaves, and leaf spot in crowded plantings.

Cutting and handling

A few stems make a lovely late-season jar arrangement, especially with dried lavender from the summer harvest. Wear gloves when cutting or dividing, since the sap can irritate skin, and keep the plant away from pets and children who might chew on it, because all parts are toxic if eaten.

About the plug tray

Sweetly is offered as a 72-cell plug tray, a good size for growers and for planting a full fall border. See the product page for current availability.

Frequently asked questions

Why has my anemone not bloomed yet?

Japanese anemones can take a season to settle in. Once established, Sweetly blooms reliably from late August into fall.

Does it spread?

Slowly, by rhizomes. It fills in over time without the aggressive running of older Japanese anemones.

Is it hardy in Michigan?

Yes, once established. It is rated for zones 4 to 8; plant it in spring and in well-drained soil.

Keep exploring

• Fall in Love® Sweetly Japanese Anemone 72-Cell Plug Tray
• Companion Plant Library
• Companion Plant Planner
• Plant Finder