‘Hononrine Jobert’ is the 2016 Perennial Plant of the Year. Photo courtesy perennialresource.com
One of the best plants in the late blooming garden has been voted the 2016 Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year.
The winner is ‘Honorine Jobert’, a Japanese anemone (A. x hybrida), which blooms from late July into September or October in the Indiana garden. The 2-3 inch-wide flowers are pure white and upward facing atop sturdy, wiry stems.
This deer-resistant plant will be 3-4 feet tall with about a 2-foot spread. Plant in full sun to part shade in moist, organically rich, well-drained soil and ‘Honorine Jobert’ will dazzle you in the garden or as a delightful cut flower. The foliage of Japanese anemone may burn in really dry, hot weather, so try not to let the plant dry out.
“Certainly, one of my favorites of the hardy, fall-blooming anemones,” said Irvin Etienne, horticulture display coordinator at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and a board member of the Perennial Plant Association. “Tall, graceful, and tough as nails. I love the single white flowers dancing high above the rest of the fall garden. And I love the name, too. I just like saying ‘Honorine Jobert’.”
Although breeders, growers, educators and others voted it the 2016 Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year, ‘Honorine Jobert’ has been around a while. It is synonymous to ‘Alba’ Japanese anemone, and was found in a Verdun, France, garden in 1858, according to Missouri Botanical Garden.
“As with all the fall-blooming anemones, remember part of Honorine’s toughness includes its robust growth. Don’t plant next to weak-growing plants, because she will push them aside,” Etienne said.
It spreads by rhizomes, so if it gets too assertive where it’s not wanted, it can easily be pulled from the soil. For winter interest, the seed heads dry to form what looks like cotton balls atop the wiry stems. Cut the plant back to the ground in late fall or early spring.
This perennial is widely available at garden centers and through online retailers.