Anemone 'Wild Swan'
Anemone 'Wild Swan' · Ranunculaceae
White flowers with a band of lilac-blue on the back of each petal, so that they change colour as they nod and close at dusk. In flower from early summer to autumn.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 20 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Late May to early October
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around anemone 'Wild Swan'
The planner designed this bed around anemone 'Wild Swan' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why anemone 'Wild Swan' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Anemone 'Wild Swan' × 3, white
- 2 Blue moor grass × 3, purple
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 23, yellow
- 4 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 5 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 4, pink
- 6 Arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball' × 1, grey-green leaves
- 7 Snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Double snowdrop × 8, white
Why this plant
- The only open bowls. The others are spires, daisies, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- Near the front. At 20 in it is the step between mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' (8 in) in front and foxglove beardtongue (3½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 19 weeks. From late May to early October.
- Closes the season. For its last four weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is tied together by its repeats: two kinds come round again along it, mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' and Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe'. Low plants run along 96% of the front edge: mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' and blue moor grass.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where anemone 'Wild Swan' goes in a border
At 20 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
It flowers months longer than a Japanese anemone and does not run. Place it where the backs of the flowers can be seen: beside a path, or in morning light.
- A long season in part shade
- Beside a path, seen at close range
- Containers
What to plant with anemone 'Wild Swan'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese painted fern: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; happy in the same moist soil.
- Coral bells: its burgundy leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (12 in) to stand in front of it.
- Siberian bugloss: bold leaves against its medium ones; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about anemone 'Wild Swan'
Does anemone 'Wild Swan' need sun or shade?
Anemone 'Wild Swan' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does anemone 'Wild Swan' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does anemone 'Wild Swan' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to early October. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Late May to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late May to early October |
| Zone 7 | Mid May to early October |
| Zone 8 | Early May to early October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should anemone 'Wild Swan' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 20 in (50 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many anemone 'Wild Swan' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is anemone 'Wild Swan' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. The sap can irritate skin, and all parts cause mouth and stomach upset if eaten.
Is there a pet-safe plant like anemone 'Wild Swan'?
These come closest to doing what anemone 'Wild Swan' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Obedient plant 'Miss Manners': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 6 in taller, flowers mid July to early September.
- White wood aster: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in taller, flowers late August to early October.
- Astilbe 'Deutschland': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late May to late June, fine leaves, not medium.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after anemone 'Wild Swan'?
Anemone 'Wild Swan' is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese onion 'Ozawa': from early October to early November, 10 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': from early November to late December, 10 ft tall.
- Common witch hazel: from mid October to late November, 15 ft tall.
What does anemone 'Wild Swan' look like in winter?
Anemone 'Wild Swan' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Anemone
- Canada anemone Anemone canadensis
- Grape-leaf anemone 'Robustissima' Anemone tomentosa 'Robustissima'
- Grecian windflower Anemone blanda
- Japanese anemone Anemone x hybrida
- Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert'
- Japanese anemone 'September Charm' Anemone x hybrida 'September Charm'
- Snowdrop anemone Anemone sylvestris
- Wood anemone Anemone nemorosa
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
In flower in: May · June · July · August · September · October
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 20 in (50 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late May to early October; open bowls; white, lavender
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.