OMG,I love Astilbes, very hard to resist, they look like puffs of cotton candy and smell just as sweet. At the nursery they were flying out the door, everyone had at least one. Every one of them were gorgeous, every day I found another I just had to have. Now I have started a collection and have 16 varieties. It's not easy to find such colorful plants for the shade as Astilbes. They need lots of water and that is not a problem for us in the Pacific Northwest for sure. They prefer morning sun with afternoon shade, no hot sun. The sizes range from short 8" to the very tall 4' and colors from white to deep red, purple and every shade of pink in between. My favorites are America, Amethyst, Fanal, Granat, Bridal Veil, Showstar, Ostrich Plume, Hennie Graafland, Sprite, Erica, Flamingo, Superba, Chinenis pumila, Peach Blossom. They multiply fast so my new Astilbe garden is going to be stuffed soon, can't wait to see a whole drift of them. There are many more varieties too. They are also great to cut for flower bouquets! Very hardy and good for zones 4-8. This one is Astilbe arendsii 'Showstar'.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Astilbes or False Spirea
OMG,I love Astilbes, very hard to resist, they look like puffs of cotton candy and smell just as sweet. At the nursery they were flying out the door, everyone had at least one. Every one of them were gorgeous, every day I found another I just had to have. Now I have started a collection and have 16 varieties. It's not easy to find such colorful plants for the shade as Astilbes. They need lots of water and that is not a problem for us in the Pacific Northwest for sure. They prefer morning sun with afternoon shade, no hot sun. The sizes range from short 8" to the very tall 4' and colors from white to deep red, purple and every shade of pink in between. My favorites are America, Amethyst, Fanal, Granat, Bridal Veil, Showstar, Ostrich Plume, Hennie Graafland, Sprite, Erica, Flamingo, Superba, Chinenis pumila, Peach Blossom. They multiply fast so my new Astilbe garden is going to be stuffed soon, can't wait to see a whole drift of them. There are many more varieties too. They are also great to cut for flower bouquets! Very hardy and good for zones 4-8. This one is Astilbe arendsii 'Showstar'.
