Japanese anemone

Japanese anemone is a clump-forming perennial from East Asia that sends up tall, wiry, branching stems topped with saucer-shaped pink or white flowers with a boss of golden stamens. It flowers from late summer into autumn and is widely planted in shaded, moist garden borders, where it can spread vigorously by underground runners.

• The 'petals' are not petals at all but coloured sepals, a common trick in the buttercup family.
• After flowering, the seed heads burst open into cottony white puffs that drift on the wind.
• Despite the name, it originates in China and only became naturalised in Japan centuries ago before reaching European gardens.

Care
Give it humus-rich, evenly moist soil in part shade and be ready to dig out spreading runners, since established clumps resent being moved.