Japanese Anemone ‘Andrea Atkinson’

* Common name: Japanese anemone (windflower) ‘Andrea Atkinson’

* Botanical name: Eriocapitella x hybrida ‘Andrea Atkinson’

* What it is: This plant is a late-blooming, deer-resistant perennial that produces white or pink poppy-like flowers that flutter in the wind atop wiry stems that poke up about a foot above a mound of green foliage.

   Lots of decent varieties are available, but ‘Andrea Atkinson’ is one worth searching out for its heavy bloom of bright white flowers with yellow centers. Penn State Arboretum has a glorious patch of them.

   In the right setting (moist soil and part-shade light), Japanese anemones get better with age and bloom heavily for many years. ‘Andrea Atkinson’ usually starts blooming in late August to early September and continues into early to mid-October.

* Size: Foliage clumps grow about two feet tall, then the flower stems and flowers rise another foot to 18 inches above that. Space plants two to two-and-a-half feet apart.

* Where to use: Ideal lighting is morning sun and afternoon shade or dappled sunlight all day, so woodland gardens, semi-shaded borders, and eastern house foundations are three good spots for an ‘Andrea Atkinson’ or three.

   Plants can grow in more sun, but leaves may brown around the edges, especially if the soil goes dry.

   Japanese anemones make good cut flowers, too.

* Care: Keep the soil consistently damp the first season to establish the roots, then water weekly in hot, dry weather.

   Scatter a balanced organic or slow-acting fertilizer around the base of plants each spring and maintain an inch or two of bark mulch or fallen leaves over the surrounding soil.

   Snip off flower stalks when flowers finish. Then cut browned plants to the ground at the end of winter.

* Great partner: The white flowers of ‘Andrea Atkinson’ pair nicely in the shade with variegated liriope, variegated Solomon’s seal, and any white-variegated variety of hosta. Fothergilla, deutzia ‘Chardonnay Pearls,’ and dwarf smooth or oakleaf hydrangeas are good part-shade shrub partners.