| Description | An Astilbe with red flowers. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (ah-STIL-bee) |
| Plant Type | All Plants, Perennials Hardy |
| Hardiness Zone | 5 |
| Sunlight | Prefer semi-shaded sites will tolerate more light in the soil is kept moist. I have a group of Astilbe in a 1/2 to 3/4 day sunspot for over 10 years and they are a showstopper when blooming. To achieve this they are growing in a bed that is raised a few inches and the soil is naturally constantly wet. |
| Moisture | Needs moist soil. Plants growing in dry conditions will be small, few blooms and tend to dry up during the hotter days in the summer. |
| Soil & Site | Rich, humusy moist well-drained soils. |
| Flowers | red plume-like inflorescence's (panicles) |
| Leaves | leaves are ternately compound and the leaflets are coarsely serrated |
| Dimensions | 1-2 feet tall |
| Maintenance | Division of the clumps every 2-3 years will help to maintain the vigor of the plant. Astilbe are heavy feeders and need to be fertilized every year in the spring and also in the early fall. Some of my Astilbe tend to heave in the winter. In the spring I cover the exposed roots with soil, mulch or dug them in. Be careful since many Astilbe are easily pulled out of the soil. |
| Propagation | division |
| Native Site | Native to China, Japan and Korea. |
| Misc Facts | George Arends of Germany was one of the first to create new varieties of Astilbe which lead to the plants popularity. |
| Author's Notes | The main factors to get maximum performance, are proper soil moisture, division and fertilizing. |
| Notes & Reference | #04-Herbaceous Perennial Plants (Allan Armitage), #40-Herbaceous Ornamental Plants (Steven Stills), #54-The Well Tended Garden (DiSabato-Aust) |
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