In modern landscape designs, a huge number of plants are used, each of which needs an individual approach, certain growing conditions. Astilbe stands out among other crops, this plant is a perennial that does not need complex care, it is not picky in the choice of “neighbors”, it can grow on any soil and plot. The creators of landscape designs jokingly call astilba a flower for the lazy – this culture is very unpretentious.
Read more about astilbe varieties, about the rules for growing it and creating compositions with the participation of this flower – in this article.
Varieties of astilba
Under natural conditions, the flower grows in Japan, China, Mongolia. There are more than 30 species of this flower with different leaves, peduncles, flowering periods.
After astilba began to be actively used in landscape designs, breeders brought out several hundred more varieties of this crop. Now the owner of the site can choose a bush of any height, density and color.
So, astilba is divided into groups by such criteria:
- Height of bush – there are dwarf, undersized, medium and tall flowers, their height ranges from 30 to 150 cm.
- Color of leaves bush can be light green, burgundy, dark green. Also, the foliage is matte, glossy, can be covered with colored fluff or have strongly pronounced veins of a contrasting color. Astilba, even in a non-flowering state, will adequately decorate any garden – its leaves have an openwork, carved shape and a glossy surface.
- Hue and shape of flower stalks. Astilba inflorescences can be of various sizes (average size – 30 cm). Their shape is pyramidal, rhomboid, paniculate, drooping. The range of shades of inflorescences is quite wide: white, beige, all shades of pink, lilac, many shades of red. With such a variety, it is not difficult to choose a suitable flower for an existing landscape.
- Bush flowering period. As a rule, astilba blooms in the middle of summer – this is how most varieties of this crop behave. But there are also hybrids that throw out flower stalks in spring or August. Such a variety of varieties allows you to create constantly blooming flower beds from astilba. In time, the flower pleases garden visitors for about a month. After flowering, however, there is no need to rush to cut the flower stalks, even in a withered state they are quite decorative.
- Shade-loving and sun-loving varieties. Most varietal species of astilba prefer moist and shaded areas. However, among the hybrids you can also find flowers that can grow even on the sunny side of the garden. The only thing is that the bushes will have to be watered more often, and they can bloom for only two weeks instead of the standard four.
How to grow astilba
This plant belongs to perennial crops; astilba can grow quietly in one place for five years without requiring transplantation and division. The total life expectancy of the bush is ten years, after this period the bush must be divided and new shoots planted.
The flower propagates in several ways:
- division of the bush;
- grafting;
- seeds.
Most often, the first method is used. An overgrown bush that has bloomed for several seasons in the same place is carefully dug up along with the roots. After that, the flower, along with the root system, is divided into several parts using a shovel or knife.
The divided parts are planted in a new place, observing an interval of at least 35 cm. After transplanting, astilba should be watered daily until the bushes take root in a new place.
Although propagation of astilba by seeds is possible, in practice this method is used very rarely. Indeed, for this method, the seeds must first be sown in neutral soil, without digging them in. Put the seed container in a room with a low temperature (from -4 to +4 degrees) for several days. Then bring in heat and water in a timely manner.
The grown seedlings are transferred to a permanent place, but astilba will begin to flower no earlier than in three seasons.
Flower care
The culture is considered unpretentious, but this does not mean that the astilba does not need any care at all. This statement is partly true only for those flowers that are planted in moist soil in areas where coolness and shade prevail for most of the day. In such cases, the owner of the garden will only have to monitor the condition of the flower stalks, remove wilted inflorescences in time, plant bushes.
Generally, astilbe care rules are as follows:
- Planting a bush on neutral loose soils. If the soil is dense, it must be mulched with peat, you can mix the soil with sand or sawdust. The acidity of the soil for astilba should be neutral.
- Regular watering of bushes. Astilba is a moisture-loving plant, even in wet areas located close to water bodies, this crop must be watered regularly. Flowers planted on the sunny side of the garden sometimes have to be watered twice a day. This is best done at dawn and dusk.
- Mulching will help keep the top layer of soil moist and loose for a longer time. Sawdust, peat, pebbles are suitable for these purposes. In extreme cases, you can use grass cut from the lawn or last year’s bushes of the same astilba.
- The flower, as a rule, does not need weeding at all. Its root system is so developed that weeds next to astilba lack moisture and nutrients, they simply die. For the same reason, flowers should not be planted in close proximity to trees (there should be an interval of about two meters), otherwise the tree will not allow the astilbe to develop normally.
- Feeding is very important for this flower. Phosphorus, potash, calcium-containing mineral or organic fertilizers can be used as fertilizers for astilba. It is better to feed the bushes twice a year: in spring and after flowering. Without feeding, the bushes will be weak, the flower stalks will be rare, because the plant is very powerful, it needs “strength”.
- Astilba usually tolerates winter well, even in severe frosts the bushes can not be covered with insulation. But in the northern regions of the country, it is still better to cover the shrub with spruce branches and cut off all the greenery from the bushes in the fall. In warmer regions (in some European countries, for example), astilbe greenery even in winter serves as a decoration for flower beds and lawns.
- After withering, it is better to cut the flowers, this will enhance the development of the root system and greenery. Some designers leave shrunken inflorescences, even in this form they are an excellent decoration of the garden.
Ways to use astilba in landscape design
Astilbe in landscape design looks advantageous with any landing method:
- In groups, when several identical or different varieties of a flower are used, tiers are created from bushes of different heights, they play with shades of inflorescences, and cultures are selected according to the flowering time.
- Landing on the flower beds mixed with other cultures is also very effective. Astilbe goes well with flowers such as lilies, geraniums, phlox, aquilegia, podophyllum. The carved leaves of the flower look great next to hostas, fern, bergenia, juniper. Astilba looks great against the backdrop of evergreen conifers and bushes.
- Individual fit it may consist in decorating garden paths, lawns with separate bushes, or in planting astilba in large pots and decorating verandas, terraces, arbors with them.
- flower use for the decoration of landscape structures, such as alpine slides, rockeries, artificial reservoirs. Astilbe looks wonderful against the background of stones or water.
- Tall varieties (more than 130 cm) can be used to create a hedge, covering outbuildings with blooming astilba or protecting the gazebo, house from prying eyes and the sun.
Numerous photos of astilba in landscape design will help the novice designer to decorate his site effectively and unusually. The owner does not have to worry about the vitality of the culture, astilba really does not need complex care, in addition, this plant can cope with pests and diseases on its own.
All that remains for the owner of the site is to enjoy the beauty of his garden and regularly water the flower beds.
