Anemone Queen Charlotte

• Variety: Queen Charlotte
• Latin name: Anemone × hybrida 'Königin Charlotte'
• Type: Herbaceous perennial (Japanese anemone)
• Flower: Semi-double, soft pink
• Height: 80cm (2½ft)
• Spread: 60cm (2ft) and spreading
• Flowering: August–October
• Hardiness: Fully Hardy (H7)
• Pruning: Cut back to the ground in late autumn or early spring
• RHS AGM: Yes (1993)
• Sold as: Pot-grown plants
• Plant outdoors: Spring, in a permanent position — Japanese anemones resent transplanting
• Delivered: Spring and summer. Collection from Castle Cary also available.

Anemone Queen Charlotte is a semi-double Japanese anemone with soft, warm-pink flowers and golden yellow stamens, flowering from August through to October — the period when most other border perennials are packing up for the year. Its RHS Award of Garden Merit dates to 1993 and is still completely deserved.

Anemone Queen Charlotte – When Everything Else Is Finishing

Queen Charlotte (properly 'Königin Charlotte' — she was raised in Germany and the English name stuck when she crossed the Channel) flowers later than almost anything else in the herbaceous border. The blooms are semi-double, which gives them more body and substance than the single-flowered types, and the pink is warm and rich rather than cold or washed-out. They open from late July or early August and keep going until frost puts an end to proceedings — easily two months of colour, sometimes more. The RHS gave it an AGM in 1993. Well-established clumps become genuinely imposing plants: upright branching stems to 80cm or so, each carrying several flowers, with good dark-green foliage beneath. One plant makes a presence; five together stop people in their tracks.

Queen Charlotte spreads steadily by underground rhizomes. This is not a problem — it is, in fact, rather the point. Leave it alone in a position it suits and within a few years you will have a colony. The difficulty is that it resents being moved. Plant it in its permanent position from the start, in part shade or full sun with reasonably moist soil, and let it get on with things. It genuinely does better the less you interfere.

Planting Companions for Queen Charlotte

Late-season is Queen Charlotte's season, so companions want to flower with her or provide structural interest that frames the anemone. Snow Angel, the white single-flowered variety, is the obvious pairing — the two are complementary in form and identical in season. For foliage contrast, the hostas are still looking good in August and the bold leaves play against the airy anemone stems. A few late clematis — any of the viticellas — flowering behind Queen Charlotte on a wall or fence will extend the pink into September without competition. Earlier in the year, Ajuga Catlin's Giant and Alchemilla erythropoda carry interest at the feet of the anemone before it comes into its own.

Why Ashridge?

We use peat-free compost and biological pest controls. Japanese anemones are among the most satisfying perennials we stock — they ask very little and give back generously once settled. The people who grow your plants are the same people who pack your order and answer your questions. Every plant is guaranteed. See the full perennial range.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Anemone Queen Charlotte flower?

August to October in most gardens — sometimes starting in late July in a warm year and continuing until the first hard frost. This late season is the defining feature: Queen Charlotte flowers when most other perennials have stopped, which makes it invaluable for autumn colour in the border.

Do Japanese anemones spread?

Yes, by underground rhizomes, and they do so steadily once established. In the right spot this is an asset — a colony of Japanese anemones in late summer is one of the great sights in a garden. The runners can be divided and replanted in spring if you want to increase stock or contain spread.

Can I grow Anemone Queen Charlotte in full sun?

Yes, provided the soil stays moist. It performs best in dappled or part shade, where the foliage stays fresh-looking throughout the season, but it is not a shade specialist and will flower just as freely in sun if it does not dry out at the root.

Is Anemone Queen Charlotte hard to establish?

The first season can be slow and occasionally disappointing — Japanese anemones sulk briefly after transplanting. Don't panic. Keep the soil moist and leave it alone. By the second year it will have settled and by the third it will have rewarded your patience with the colony it intends to become.

What is the difference between Queen Charlotte and Honorine Jobert?

Flower form and colour, mainly. Queen Charlotte is semi-double and warm pink; Honorine Jobert is single and pure white, and slightly taller. Both hold the AGM and flower at the same time. If you are choosing between them, the question is colour — pink or white — rather than performance, which is similar.