I have been looking in surrounding gardens for ideas for colour at this time of year. What is this one called pleased? I am sure I know but having a senior moment. Thanks.
Certainly looks like a Japanese anemone (also known as windflowers). Is it a singl cup flower? Difficult to see from the photo. I love windflowers but they won't grow for me!
Yes, a Japanese anemone - they're beautiful but invasive. I've just dug several out in an attempt to stop them colonising the entire garden. They're going down the road to youngest daughter's currently neglected garden.
Many thanks, ladies. I thought they looked anemone-like. Sorry about the quality of the picture from my phone. I was nervous about being caught on somebodies drive so had hand shake! On googling I see that some varieties are invasive and some not. I actually want them to spread, in a wildish area in the communal car park for my row of houses. Will try a garden centre this afternoon, failing that, Ebay.
They aren't invasive in my garden, shysal. A friend gave me a clump years ago and they have just sat there, gradually getting bigger and occasionally seeding themselves. Nothing like the dreaded alchemilla mollis
Isn't that interesting, that these plants flourish in some gardens and not in others. I can't grow lupins (for example) so I grow them in pots. Hosta's do brilliantly but I tend to have a lot in pots with copper round in an attempt to stop the slugs n snails eating out every evening.
It depends on your soil, it's harder for them to seed in soggy areas. They quite like dry partial shade, so are very useful in shadier areas that other flowers wouldn't like. As you can see from the photo, they are very happy in a very dry spot at the base of a wall.
You can also get them in mauve, but those are far rarer. The smaller varieties aren't as rampant.
I have a huge hosta which gets bigger every year and has lovely hyacinth-blue flower spikes. The slugs and snails don't have much luck with it, possibly because it's just too big.
janerowena - my garden isn't dry (north west Uk, we don't do dry). The soil was clay from 4" down when we moved in but I've worked hard adding compost and clay breaker so it's much improved. Do they change colour? I thought I'd put a white one in last year but only have pink.
They're fairly invasive in my garden (alkaline soil) I made the mistake of planting them alongside a path because they flop all over the place and need a lot of staking. I dug some out and moved them to a better position where they're supported by other plants but the blighters are difficult to remove completely.
janeainsworth, I have Alchemilla Mollis coming up in all sorts of places, including in my pots containing herbs. I actually quite like it within reason, especially after rain, when the droplets form 'jewels' on the leaves. My next door neighbour does nothing at all to her garden and it has overtaken the whole plot! I tried to split the main plant and took it to DD's to fill some gaps, but needless to say it died. Sod's Law!
I like the alchemilla mollis really shysal. I think the greyish leaves and pale yellow flowers are a lovely foil for things like hardy geraniums. It just took me too long to work out that it's best to cut the flowers off before they set seed everywhere! I hope your Japanese anemones do well!
I chop back my alchemila mollis as soon as the flowers start going over, then you get a neat little mound growing back. It's even seeded itself in the lawn