Season endings are always poignant, though we are lucky in gardens today. This is the time of effulgence: in foliage, brilliant light and new sightings. The most effulgent plant of all might be Anemonopsis macrophylla. The little bloom looks like an anemone, thus the more common name false anemone, but it is even more delicate and radiates a purity of tone and spirit up against all the riots of colour elsewhere.
It comes to us from Japan's island of Honshu where it is rare in the wild. It's in the Ranunculus family (buttercups) and grows to 75 centimetres tall with 2-centimetre-diameter blooms of pale white with waxy bluish-purple sepals that make it important to look it right in the face. It is a nodding flower, growing along elegant arching black stems adding drama and a whole new shape. The deeply cut basalt leaves are attractive on their own, coming in a deep glossy green.
This anemone must be planted in woodland conditions: deep, fluffy soil and lots of organic matter, both of which will help to create a welldrained bed. It should be on the damp side, which means you can't let this plant dry out completely in summer. In winter, however, it can't be constantly wet. Fussy, maybe, but worthwhile from Zone 5.
A woodland is always a special place in any garden. It will be shaded from the hot midday sun and the broiling heat late in the day. The soil is special as well. It's a place to let leaves lie and break down on their own. It must have plenty of organic matter added (compost, manure) because there are lots of trees and shrubs around using up all the nutrients in the soil. And moisture content has to be kept fairly even, which means a good mulch should be layered on the surface of the soil.
But wonderful plants can be added, including hellebores, which bloom most of the year (Zone 6), primula, anemonellas, tiarella, masses of bulbs and, of course, ferns. They all provide good companions for the anemones. The result will be a lacy, open effect designed to hold water in the soil and to be a good part of the whole ground-level ecology.
If you can find this rare plant, keep the seeds. They need to fall to ground and have a cold (not too wet) winter. But you can sow them in containers where they may germinate in the spring, or store them in the fridge for the duration.
It's worth a search to find this lovely plant. Never ignore autumn blooms or autumn planting. It's still the best time of the year.
Find Anemonopsis macrophylla at garden centres including Lost Horizons in Acton, Ont. (www.losthorizons.ca), where it retails for $20.