Plant Doctor Archive

My anemones won't flower

I PLANTED some Japanese anemones in the garden, probably a good three years ago. The first year they flowered well, but they have not done much since. Is there something I have to give them? Other people do not seem to have much problem.

LACK of flowering in Japanese anemones may simply be due to lack of growth, which does seem unusual as they generally grow well with minimum care in most gardens. So whatever you can do to encourage strong new growth should result in a better show of flowers next autumn.

Try a spring application of a general fertiliser along with a little lime if the soil is heavy clay or acidic. Just sprinkle it around so the rain will wash it in. You could also try lifting a few plants before spring and divide each into several smaller plants before replanting. If you have compost or mulch to spare, sprinkle it around generously.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.