When we buy plants that are not fully mature, or have yet to flower, we’re trusting the nursery to give us the variety they say they’re giving us, without any way of being sure. It’s surprising how many times our trust is misplaced.

Earlier this year I bought two plants of Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’, from different nurseries, at different times, for a white-themed bed I’m creating in our garden. They have both come into flower now. This one is undoubtedly the white form known as Honorine Jobert…

The other one has turned out to be one of the more common pink forms (the colour is a bit washed out in the photo, but trust me, it’s definitely pink)…

Is it time for an inquiry? I’ve found both plant labels, but they don’t have the nursery names on them. One, I think, was mail order; part of an order for various plants. The other I bought from a nursery in persona personalmente, as it were. The trouble is, I’ve had them for a while, I’ve visited quite a few nurseries and plant fairs this year, and I can’t remember where I bought these plants. I think I know where the mail-order one came from. But I can’t be sure which is which.

Perhaps I should have been more organised, and paid more attention, so that I could go back to the offending nursery with the evidence. But that’s not really what buying plants, and building a garden is all about. So basically, I’ll have to put it down to experience. I’m not giving up on my white bed. I’ll move the offending pink anemone (which is still an attractive flower) to somewhere more appropriate in the garden, and buy one or two more white ones when I can (and hope they turn out to actually be white!)