Anemone dreaming swan
Anemone Dreaming Swan
The Elizabeth MacGregor-bred Anemone Dreaming Swan, introduced in 2013 is the highlight of our Fife garden at the moment.
When it comes to Japanese Anemones, I have always, in the past praised Honorine Jobert as being the best white available.
I am not saying I have changed my mind regarding this, however, Dreaming Swan does have a lot to offer.
Unlike Honorine Jobert which blooms late Summer/Autumn, – Dreaming Swan flowers from June until October, also at a height of around 2ft it may well be easier to find a place in the border for it.
Although the blooms of Dreaming Swan may not have the pristine perfection of HJ they will appeal to many gardeners.
This is where I stop mentioning HJ and start singing the praises of Dreaming Swan.
I planted three of the Anemone Dreaming Swan in our Fife back garden in mid-June of this year. Flower buds already adorned the sturdy plants and blooming commenced one week later.
Mid August is approaching and the plants have flowered non-stop.
The first flowers to open were single, those opening later are semi double with a slightly ruffled appearance at the petal edges.
Plants come and go in our garden, although I dislike being wasteful, the truth is we don’t always get things right first time round, however Dreaming Swan is here to stay.
Hardiness *** fully hardy in the UK
Blooms *** white flowers with yellow centre and lilac blue bands on the back
Height *** 50/60cm/20/24in
Position *** full sun/part shade
Soil *** grows in all soil types (free draining)
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Garden news
The fencing erected in new build housing is generally quite sturdy, however the word barricade comes to mind.
With the addition of trellis which I have just added, the transformation pleases me.
Three trees have been planted, the first one below is Prunus Kanzan.
Trees in a small garden require consideration regarding shading neighbouring gardens.
Although the trees which we have settled for are by no means the shortest, I will maintain their height by pruning each year.
When I am no longer here! – – well, someone else can worry about that.
The Himalayan Birch jacquemontii is extremely handsome with its white bark, a multi stemmed one would have been even better.
The Rowan Joseph Rock with its yellow berries is one of our favourites. This one below has a lot of growing to do.
We have always had Bamboo in our gardens, Phyllostachys aurea is a first for us, already, its my favourite.
© 2017, Alistair. All rights reserved.
Absolutely gorgeous, Alistair!
Your ‘new’ garden is really coming along, Alistair, well done! Nice to hear that you are giving consideration to the effect your tress could have on your neighbours. So many people plant trees right on the boundary with their neighbours which then grow into huge trees which cast a lot of shade, not to mention roots showing in lawns. Yes, I have hugemungous poplars and weeping willow right on the boundary which blocks out the sun despite my garden facing south. Luckily, it’s quite large, so I still get some sunshine.
Yes Ellen, in Scotland we need as much sun as we can get.
Hello Alistair, we don’t have anemones in the garden yet but the one I have my eye on is “Wild Swan” because of the delicate blue on the back of the petals. I’m also planning on fitting in a couple of Jacquemontii birch and I’ll hunt for the multi-stem for more of that white gleaming bark. For the bamboo, I’ve actually removed six large clumps of bamboo from the garden but there are some smaller (and more controlled) clumps left behind that I have thinned to expose the stems and that does look nice. It’s really good to see that even though a garden may be on the smaller scale, there are still plenty of options when it comes to planting trees given careful planning, thought and consideration.
Hi Sunil, funny you should mention (Wild Swan) The one I show today (Dreaming Swan) was introduced by the grower at a later date, it also has the blue stripe on the back of the petals and is said to be an improvement on Wild Swan.
Hi Alistair,
Dreaming Swan looks a great Plant and the long flowering time appeals to me a lot .
Your Garden is taking shape very well and already looks great.
Look forward to seeing it develop as time goes by .
Thanks, David, This time next year the garden should lose that just planted look.
Hi Alistair, I have a great love for the Japanese anemones mainly because they are so tolerant and thrive in most situations and although the colour range is not great they somehow seem to have a kind of luminosity being particularly striking in poor light, and my, we have had plenty of that recently.
Your birch is one I have always admired but somehow have never got round to growing, it is a fine tree. My Joseph Rock has now reached its optimum size and is packed with berries which are just starting to ripen. Autumn is on the way! When the berries are ripe and the leaves have dropped it makes a spectacular subject against a clear blue sky.
Yes Rick, Joseph Rock is one of the best Rowans. I didn’t plant it in Cheshire after reading that this particular Rowan was susceptible to fire blight in the area. Glad your one is doing well.
Altho our garden is small I have planted a lot of trees, and will be on a mission to try and keep them contained to a reasonable size. The inherited carob is WAY out of my reach.
Your hanging basket Lobelia is related to what we saw growing wild on the mountain.
We still use Lobelia a lot Diana, Old habits die hard.
I planted Japanese anemones for the first time this year. Mine are ‘Honorine Jobert.’ I’m thrilled to see they have lots of buds; I can’t wait for them to open, especially since seeing your ‘Dreaming Swan’, Alistair. Your new garden is coming along beautifully. Love the white birch — they don’t do well here and we lost ours in the last storm. P. x
Hi Pam, the blooms on Honorine Jobert are simply perfect.
Can’t wait!
A very pretty anemone! We have one that is a little more pink, but very lovely in the garden. It is a little hard to keep it in check in its current location, actually, but it’s so pretty I’d hate to rip it all out. You picked out some lovely trees!
Some of these Anemones are hard to keep in check. Dreaming Swan apparently behaves itself.
Your garden is shaping up nicely with the addition of trees and the trellising on the fence….I love anemone but most has been pushed out by many aggressive native wildflowers.
Thanks Donna, I will head over to see what’s going on in gardens eye view
Lovely anemones Alistair. I love them and tried to grow in my garden but without success – too many water 🙂
I remember the words ” The higher fence – the better neighbors. And it’s true. Your rowan is nice!
Hi Nadezda, I guess the Anemones would object to getting water logged.