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
deep pink
Leaves
Ternately compound and the leaflets are coarsely serrated. The dissected foliage is an attractive feature of the plant.
Dimensions
24 inches tall
Maintenance
Division of the clumps every 2-3 years will help to maintain the vigor of the plant. Astillbe 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 in the spring, most cultivars will not come true from seed
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
Tolerates more light if 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. The main factors to get maximum performance are proper soil moisture, division and fertilizing.