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Astilbes boast airy plumes of feathery blooms high above deeply cut, glossy foliage. They are perennial to Zone 3 and lend an elegance to moist, partial sun borders or ponds. If you are unfamiliar with Astilbe, delve into their graceful world with me.
Astilbes (pronounced a-STIL-bee) are an underutilized and underappreciated perennial perfect for any moist and/or shady spot. Astilbe can actually handle afternoon sun so long as their feet remain damp. This makes them perfect pond plantings and excellent for those "in between" sun and shade spots. Astilbe is also known as False Goat's Beard or False Spirea. Astilbes are some of the first plants to peek through the soil in Spring to grow fast and vigorous, filling in very quickly. The popular cultivar "Visions" is pictured to the right.
Though all Astilbe look fairly similar, cultivars tend to differ in several categories:
Color- Almost without exception, Astilbes fall somewhere in the range from white to deep plum; This includes light pink, peach, lavender, magenta, and crimson. Astilbe tend to look best when planted in groupings, since the bloom colors are all in the same color family and complement each other nicely.
Height- If you can imagine, Astilbes can be as small as 10" tall such as 'Perkeo' and as tall as 4 feet like 'Purple Candles'. With such a range, this is a very versatile plant for many spots in your garden. If you wanted to group Astilbe, finding varieties of varying height would be easy in order to make a stair-step look.
Foliage- Astilbe foliage is generally deeply cut, though sometimes it is almost as frothy and ferny as its blooms. Foliage can range from dark hunter green to blue-green to chartreuse. Even when Astilbe are not producing their show-stopping plumes, the foliage can hold its own in the garden.
Habit- Generally the foliage of Astilbe is bushy, but the plumes of flowers can vary greatly in their growth habit. Some are arching and move with the slightest breeze, others are so upright they appear to be saluting the sun, yet others are more relaxed and less uniform.
Growing Conditions- While most Astilbes prefer moist soil and shade, some can take heat and direct sunlight better than others. Cultivars such as 'Diamant' and 'Pink Lightning' need a good amount of shade and water to flourish, while cultivars like 'Purple Lance' are somewhat drought tolerant once established. There are also somecultivars such as 'Deutschland,' 'Amethyst,' and 'Rheinland' which can be grown in full sun as long as they have ample moisture. A little bit of experimentation with the environment in which you grow Astilbe might result in you finding many different areas to grow Astilbe that you would never guess.
Here are several of the beautiful cultivars of Astilbe. Clicking on each photograph will take you to the Plant Files entry of each one.
Etna
Purple Candles
Fanal
Rheinland
Amethyst
Visions in Red
Finale
Lollypop
Pink Lightning
Perkeo
Peach Blossom
Deutschland
Astilbe can be found at specialized local gardening centers, online, and on occasion at the big box stores. If you choose to grow Astilbe in your garden, you will surely love it for its grace and variability.
Photo Credits:
2wards- Etna
kooger-Finale
Tyke- Purple Candles
AltonNH-Visions in Red
Planter64- Visions
Hczone6- Peach Blossom
Sanannie- Perkeo and Lollypop
KevinMc79-Rheinland
Todd_Boland-Amethyst, Fanal,
and Deutschland
Kniphofia- Pink Lightning
About Susanne Talbert
Having just moved to Colorado from Texas, I am on a steep learning curve in the garden these days. I am definitely learning what 'perennial' really means!
My passions include thrifty gardening, vines, super-hardy perennials, and unusual foliage plants. By day, I am a high school ceramics teacher and fiber/clay/acrylic artist.
Posted by RedAuCaDo (from High Rolls Mountain , NM) on July 28, 2008 at 12:20 PM:
Will Astilbe survive in moist alkaline clay soil? I could plant them beside a small stream where they would have afternoon shade.
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Posted by art_n_garden (from Colorado Springs, CO) on July 28, 2008 at 9:48 PM:
Red, although some people might tell you different, I think it depends of which Astilbe cultivar you choose to plant. Most Astilbe would prefer lightly acidic, loamy soil, but then again most plants and gardeners in general would too. :) I have pretty heavy clay soil (not sure of its alkalinity or pH because I've not test it yet) but I have a couple varieties of Astilbe thriving and also have had a couple that won't do well no matter what. 'Fanal' is one that just doesn't like my soil. I would get one of the tougher cultivars to experiment with first like Deutschland, Amethyst or Rheinland.
Astilbes tend to grow pretty shallow roots though, so maybe you would benefit from amending the area you want to plant them and that would suffice. Hope this helps! Susanne
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Subject: Pond Plantings?
Posted by Potagere (from Farges
(France)) on July 25, 2008 at 4:46 PM:
I just love astilbes! Although I have never seen so many different ones as you picture here. Lovely!
In some of the gardens in France, I have seen HUGE astilbes, although mine always stay pretty compact. You don't mention soil or fertilizing. Any tips?
But, finally to my real point: You say they "make perfect pond plantings". What exactly do you mean by this? I have some BESIDE the pond. Can I actually plant them IN the pond in the shallow water at the edges, just as I do with some iris and with mimulus?
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Posted by art_n_garden (from Colorado Springs, CO) on July 25, 2008 at 8:53 PM:
Hi Potagere - My astilbes stay pretty compact as well, though it could be because neither of us are growing 'Purple Candles' or the like. As far as fertilizing goes...I don't use anything other than blood meal, compost and fish emulsion because I like to stay organic, especially near the pond. So I often forget to mention fertilizing, oops.
Ya know, when I said 'pond plantings' I was intending *next* to the pond, but it might be worth a shot inside the pond. I have never tried this though. I would never think to try hosta in a pond either, and I know that works. If you have an extra one, go ahead and try it! Although for me they are too expensive to experiment with :) Thanks for reading! Susanne
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Posted by bookworm28 (from Houston, TX) on July 25, 2008 at 11:15 PM:
Hi Potagere - all the way from France! I always love to read posts from Europe and other countries and see how similar plants grow all over the world. I can't grow lavender here, and would love to see the French lavendar fields!
I just saw beautiful hydrangeas all over Costa Rica, among many other plants that also grow in my climate. I had no idea!
Does Astilbe need cold dormancy or can I grow it here do you think? I love the photos - such beautiful plants. The feathery blossoms are beautiful.
Great article!
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Posted by art_n_garden (from Colorado Springs, CO) on July 25, 2008 at 11:27 PM:
Hmm, hate to say it, but I doubt they'd do very well for you. If you had a moist spot in deep shade they might be ok. Mine even have a hard time in the dry heat here sometimes, some more than others; But it might be worth it for you to try if you can get your hands on one inexpensively!
:) Susanne
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Posted by bookworm28 (from Houston, TX) on July 26, 2008 at 12:29 AM:
HI! Ok - one for the higher zones! I have some deep shade, but not always moist. They are beautiful, though. LU!
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Subject: Great Article
Posted by staceysmom (from (GayLynn) Appleton, WI) on July 25, 2008 at 12:35 PM:
I just planted my first Astilbe this year. I see a couple more you have shown here that I would love to get. They do require a lot of water and will start to wilt if they don't get enough. But then I give them a drink and they perk right back up.
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Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on July 25, 2008 at 2:36 PM:
Love astilbe, and loved your article, great photos.
Thank you again!
