Color for a shady spot in your flower garden The astilbe

By MARILYN MCKINNEY

OSU Master Gardener Volunteer

CANFIELD

I can think of no perennial flower that offers more color in a shade garden than the lovely astilbes.

They are easy to grow, need little maintenance, are showy, have weeks of bloom time, are virtually pest and disease free, and make a great cut flower. Deer and rabbits don’t seem to bother them.

They only negative I can remotely think of is that most of them lack a strong fragrance. With all of that, astilbes give you a lot of bang for your buck.

They come in a nice variety of colors ranging from white to fiery red, with light and dark shades of pink and lavenders in between. They also come in a wide range of heights.

The airy feathery plumes are showy. In a breeze, some of the blooms seem like the could drift away at a moment’s notice.

These wonderful perennial flowers are hardy to zone 4. They are widely adaptable, mostly growing in shade to partial shade.

They bloom fairly well in full shade, but do better and will achieve full size with at least some filtered sunshine. I have several planted in an area close to the house which is shaded by a big oak tree.

Astilbes like fairly rich soil, with some of them preferring a more acidic soil similar to azaleas. I have them planted in a spot that stays fairly moist. They seem to love it there. I have them intermingled with hostas.

I have seen astilbes seed but have heard that germination can be difficult. The plants are widely available at most nurseries although in limited varieties.

My recommendation is to start local, then buy online for the options you cannot find. Several retail plant companies offer astilbe collections.

I think they look best when either planted in clumps, a border, or with plants like hosta or heurchera for a textural contrast.

Here are my favor varieties:

Bridal veil, full white plumes, mid- to late-season bloomer, 3 feet tall.

Rheinland, an early bloomer with a rich pink color, 1- to 2-feet tall.

Purple candles, deep purple chenille plumes, 3- to 4-feet tall.

Fanal, early blooms, blood-red flowers on bronze foliage, 1- to 2-feet tall.

Visions, raspberry pink plumes, fragrant (sweet), 18 inches tall.

Montgomery, deep-red flowers that last weeks, 1.5- to 2-feet tall.

Peach blossom, also fragrant, a peachy pink color 1.5- to 2-feet tall.

If you have not added these beauties to your flower gardens, please consider doing so. You will not be disappointed.

You can read all about growing these perennials at http://go.osu.edu/astilbe.