Foamy spires of unique blooms in the shade! Astilbe is a genus of 18 species of perennial flowering plants. Unique plants with lacy, finely-cut foliage, these plants form clumps and can even spread by rhizomes to colonize small garden locations.
Also known as Meadowsweet, False Goat's Beard, or False Spirea, the branched spires appear feathery or plume-like and bring in the pollinators and the hummingbirds!
Inside this Article:
Amazing Astilbe!Caring For Astilbe Plants
Top Astilbe At Nature Hills Nursery
Boost Your Floral Bouquets With Astilbe!
Amazing Astilbe!
Glamorous flowering plants that boost the visual appeal of dappled shade gardens, you'll find an elegant selection of Astilbe to brighten your garden beds and borders here at Nature Hills! The lacy leaves are gorgeous edging and front-of-the-garden border plants, even when they are not in bloom. Astilbe is the perfect finishing touch to your landscape design!
With a wide range of height and color, these clumping plants look great when mixed and matched, or even massed together to form showy colonies in the shadier locations around your yard! Plant these deer-resistant plants throughout your woodland and wildflower gardens with other ferny foliage plants.
Of course, both the scented flowers and finely cut foliage look great in the garden and fill bouquets with long-lasting showy blooms and greenery!
These versatile perennials shine in many garden locations:
- Shade gardens: Perfect for dappled shade and partial shade areas
- Woodland gardens: Natural companions with ferns and other shade lovers
- Garden edging: Smaller varieties are excellent edging and front-of-border plants
- Moon gardens: White varieties glow in evening light
- Container gardens: Work as fillers, spillers, and thrillers in mixed planters
- Cutting gardens: Outstanding fresh and dried flowers for bouquets
- Rain Gardens: Handle wet spots better than many perennials
- Mixed perennial beds: Combine with other shade and part shade-loving plants like Coral Bells, Hostas, and Ferns
Top Astilbe At Nature Hills Nursery
The romantically soft Bridal Veil Astilbe features green, glossy foliage with wide, fluffy, lacy spires of pure white flowers in summer! Perfect for moon gardens and cottage borders.
One of the tallest Astilbe, Bridal Veil® has gorgeous green foliage mounds with tall, feathery plumes of soft white flowers. Growing 18 - 60 Inches tall when in bloom.
Pair with: Variegated Liriope, High Contrast Lungwort, and Northern Exposure™ Silver Coral Bells
The garnet-red Fanal Astilbe is a colorful feathery bloomer with new foliage appearing as mahogany before aging into lacy deep green/bronze-green. Growing about 2 feet in height and width, wonderfully cold-hardy throughout USDA zones 4 to 9!
Pair with: Berry Timeless Coral Bells, flowing All Gold Japanese Forest Grass, and Raspberry Splash Lungwort
The sweetly charming Peach Blossom Astilbe boasts lush, dark green mounds of finely cut foliage topped with soft peachy-pink plumes in late spring to summer! These airy, pastel blooms add a delicate, romantic touch to woodland gardens, shady borders, and cottage-inspired beds. Growing 18 - 24 inches throughout USDA zones 4 to 8.
Pair with: Autumn Leaves Coral Bells, EverColor® Everest™ Variegated Sedge Grass, Misty Lace Dwarf Goatsbeard
Dark chocolatey bronzy-purple leaves make Chocolate Shogun Astilbe stand out with lacy white and pink flowers on tall red stems above near-black foliage. Outstanding cut flowers that look great as dried blooms, too! Cold-hardy throughout USDA zones 4 to 8, growing 2-3 feet tall.
Dark theme pairs: Spellbound Coral Bells, Proven Winners® Black Scallop Ajuga, Burgundy Lace Painted Fern
Light contrast pairs: Champagne Coral Bells, Evercolor® Everillo Sedge Grass, and Great Expectations Hosta
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Visions Series Astilbe
The compact Visions Astilbe and the entire Visions series have strong stems, growing to a compact 18 inches tall with fluffy spires for summer months! Available in Vision In Red, Vision In Pink, Vision In White, Little Vision In Purple, and Little Vision In Pink varieties.
Pair with: Patriot Hosta, Variegated Solomon’s Seal, and Twinkle Toes Lungwort
Caring For Astilbe Plants
Easy to grow and resilient, the cold-hardy Astilbe family of plants is one of the hardiest perennial plants and easy to grow! Count on reliable Astilbe to come back year after year!
- Light: Astilbe grows best in partial shade and needs afternoon shade to maintain its deep hues. The ideal spot receives between 2-4 hours of sunlight per day
- Zones: Astilbe plants are widely adaptable across USDA planting zones 3 to 9
- Soil: Needs well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter
- Water: Don't let your Astilbe plants dry out completely, as they perform best with regular moisture access
- Mulch: Use a 3-4-inch layer of mulch over their root systems for insulation
- Wildlife: Deer and rabbits both tend to leave it alone
- Maintenance: Wait until early spring to cut back old foliage, can deadhead after flowers finish blooming.
Boost Your Garden With Astilbe!
Gorgeous fillers and thrillers for your bouquets, the lacy airy plumes boost the color and texture of your arrangements! Both fresh and dried, Astilbe plumes will look divine! Even the Victorian language of flowers knew its worth, stating Astilbe symbolized patience and dedication to a loved one.
Add these easy-to-grow beauties to your shaded gardens and mixed containers! The flowers are outstanding for drying - simply hang bundles upside down to dry them.
Check out all the gorgeous Astilbe varieties available at Nature Hills today!
Happy Planting!