Anemone hupehensis 'Bowles' Purple'

 Anemone hupehensis Bowles' Purple

This is a smaller grower than the variety 'Japonica', the Japanese Anemone which is usually white or pale pink with flower stems reaching a metre or more, though there is much confusion as to the correct cultivar names and hybrids of these Anemones in Australia.

I was given a small clump of this last year by a gardening mate who called it Bowles' Pink, though no reference is made to either a pink or purple form in the RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. E.A. Bowles is remembered as a breeder of Anemones so I have no doubt this plant goes back a long way. By coincidence the background plant in this photo is the grass or sedge Carex Bowles' Golden.

 The flower color on this Anemone starts out as a vibrant cerise purple before fading to bright pink and white on the edge of the petals. 

From a nursery point of view it is easier get to flower in a 14cm pot which is a bonus from a sales point of view compared with the 'in demand' tall white species with its larger leaves and flower stem making it more difficult to manage. 

This plant is a hardy semi shade to shade lover and is tolerant of frost and dry.