Learning to love little astilbe

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/08/2014 (4238 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Occasionally one comes across a hard-working perennial that receives little recognition.
Such is the case with astilbe. Only got shade to offer? Want colour but no big flowers? Want the colour to last? Little winter effect would be appreciated?

Unlike many shade-loving plants, astilbes are grown as much and possibly more for their flowers than their foliage. Vibrant reds, perky pinks, crisp whites. Did I mention the reds? Not the typical colour for a shade garden. But then, neither are the flowers. There’s nothing fussy about its form; feathery, airy, held well above the foliage, it doesn’t quite coalesce into a specific shape at all. If there could be a real life example of the Impressionist painters’ pointillism painting style, it would be the astilbe flower.

Bright colour in the shade? That’s what I’m talking about. This plant prefers partial to full shade. And what’s more, it’s a fairly long-flowering perennial, starting mid-summer and often persisting into late summer or early fall. Leave the seedheads in place and they’ll add an interesting fine texture to the winter mix.

For maximum flowering, put it in partial shade. Either way, make sure it has lots of moisture.
There are many reliable cultivars available, as this is a hardiness zone 3 plant.

“Red Sentinel” and “Fanal” are among the most vibrant of the red coloured astilbes. Red Sentinel is 45 centimetres high by 40 centimetres wide. Fanal is approximately twice that size.
“Key West” has both red flowers and dark burgundy leaves. It’s one of the smaller astilbes, 40 centimetres by 30 centimetres, but has twice the flowers of any other.

“Visions in Pink” is the same size as Key West but comes in a lovely soft pink. “Ostrich Plume,” another pink, is the largest of the astilbes and reaches 100 centimetres by 60 centimetres. The plant is big and the plumes are big. Unlike most astilbes, these plumes are not in stiff upright spikes, but in dropping arches.

“Bridal Veil” is another of the larger ones, 90 centimetres by 60 centimetres and has pure, perfect white flowers.

I haven’t mentioned the foliage — it’s enticing in its own right. The fine-textured, fernlike leaves make a terrific contribution to the shade garden, even without the flowers. Although usually green, some cultivars have burgundy leaves, while others have red veining.
And the deer? Deer don’t like them — what a great plant!

Carla Keast has a master’s degree in landscape architecture and is a Winnipeg-based freelance landscape designer. She can be reached at contact@carlakeast.com.