The original and lush astilbe plant—easy to plant and care for outdoors—grows luxuriously, beautifully decorating the garden. We highly recommend giving it a try. This wonderful perennial can brighten up any hidden corner of the garden, and during its bloom period, the palette of colors in your garden will be simply off the charts. Astilbe especially thrives in semi-lit areas, under tree canopies.
See also: Perennial phlox - planting and care, photos.
Peculiarities
• Unpretentious astilbe in hot weather requires watering every day, or even twice - before sunrise and after sunset.
• The roots that grow upwards must be constantly mulched, protecting them from the scorching rays of the sun.
• New hybrids and varieties overwinter well and there is no need to dig them up for the winter.
• Repot every 5-7 years, and astilbe can delight you with its beautiful flowering for up to 20 years. This is such a wonderful flower.
The best varieties of astilbe
This flower is so beloved by breeders for its beauty and unpretentiousness that they have developed around 200 varieties. They all differ in color, cluster size, flower size, flowering period, and watering requirements.
'Arendsa' – tall, lush inflorescences look so luxurious against a green backdrop of elongated leaves, and the bushes can grow up to five feet tall, creating an impossibly beautiful, fragrant oasis among shady trees and tall shrubs. The flowers come in a variety of colors, from soft white to purple-red, and if you plant different varieties, your garden will be transformed into a wonderful cloud of playful colors, with delicate inflorescences shaped like balls or cones, or even individual stalks of delicate racemes.
'Boogie-Woogie' with its lush, pink foam of flowers delights the eye throughout June, while 'Lilliputians' will decorate borders in July and August and are also perfect for rock gardens. 'Gloria' tolerates winter well and looks stunning near any body of water.
Japanese astilbe is especially beautiful; after flowering, it remains just as beautiful; dried flowers do not fall off, do not lose their shape, and decorate the garden even in autumn.
See also: Garden hydrangea - planting and care in open ground.
Propagation of Astilbe
There's plenty of room for creativity here - seeds, dividing bushes, buds - however you like, you can propagate this beauty, which is especially appreciated by gardeners.
- To divide the bush, rake the soil around the rhizome and carefully remove it, complete with a clod of soil. Shake off the soil and, using a well-sharpened knife, carefully cut the bush into sections with several buds on each. Remove any dried sections and replant individually, watering moderately every day.
- Buds – when the buds begin to swell in the spring, cut them off along with part of the rhizome, sprinkle the wounds with gold leaf, plant the cuttings in peat moss with drainage, and cover with plastic wrap. Once they've strengthened and are growing, they can be transplanted into the garden.
- By seeds – at the end of flowering, astilbe produces seed pods that produce small seeds, which can be planted in pots in early spring. You can harden off the seeds by covering the soil above them with snow, then, when the snow melts, cover them with plastic wrap and place them at the bottom of the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. There, the seeds will germinate, harden off, and survive all subsequent winters without causing any problems.
After taking them out of the refrigerator, place them in a light, moderately warm place (up to 20 degrees), water them carefully, and once the true leaves appear, transplant them into different pots.
How to plant astilbe
The best time to plant is late May, or early June if the spring is cold. Choose a suitable site in advance, preferably under a tree canopy or on the shore of a body of water. Astilbe prefers loamy soil with close surface water. Dig the soil, loosen it, and fertilize it with potassium, phosphorus, and compost. Mix it with humus; your astilbe will love this mixture. Plant in holes about 30 cm deep and spaced the same distance apart. Water well, and mulch with 3-4 cm of mulch.
Astilbe care
This isn't difficult. You just need to water moderately, preventing the plant from drying out, mulch the upward-growing roots rather than the downward ones, and remove any dead parts promptly. After 5-6 years, replant.
Apply nitrogen fertilizer in spring, potassium fertilizer in midsummer, and phosphorus fertilizer in autumn. After fertilizing, loosen the soil and mulch again. You can also break off remaining branches in spring and apply them as mulch under the bushes, providing additional organic matter and protecting the roots from the sun.
Pests
Although the plant is easy to grow and pests aren't particularly bothersome, there are still a few dangers. These include the spittlebug and two types of nematodes. The first insect deposits its larvae in the saliva foam, which, as they develop, cause the leaves to wrinkle and turn yellow. Condiphor or Malathion will help kill the spittlebug.
Nematodes infest the leaves and flowers, causing them to wrinkle and turn brown. The other infests the roots, forming cone-like growths. Remove infected parts and treat with phytoverm.
By carefully tending to astilbe, dividing and replanting new bushes, and sowing new varieties from seed, you can create beautifully blooming oases in your garden from this single garden flower, adorning the space around trees and shrubs, buildings, and even adorning ponds. With simple care, this wonderful perennial will serve you for many years, becoming ever more lush and beautiful.
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