Friday, July 10, 2009

Astilbe Love


I've grown to love astilbe this year. It can be a great addition to a "woodland" style garden. I like seeing it in a large mass like this.

Hope you all have a great weekend!
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5 comments:

  1. Bangchik and KakdahJuly 12, 2009 at 3:54 PM

    How they blend well against the wall... very sweet and interesting. ~ bangchik

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  2. Olive BranchJuly 13, 2009 at 9:37 AM

    Yes, simple, but they do the trick.

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  3. JanJuly 13, 2009 at 4:00 PM

    I do love astilbe; I have 2 varieties of pink in my garden. Some are in sun, and some in shade. It works well for me in almost any setting.

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  4. vermontflowerfarm@outlook.comJuly 14, 2009 at 7:29 AM

    Hello Mike;

    We have grown astilbes for over 25 years and probably have over 70 varieties in our collection. We offer about 50 varieties for sale at the nursery. They are great plants, much sturdier and foregiving than one might think. 5-6 years ago we did a planting adjacent to our hosta garden knowing that the area floods each spring. Although the plants are under water for over a month, they multiple and just get better. Only once have those planted in full sun dessicated and a couple died and that was a year (opposite of this year!) when there was no rain. Any new plantings in full sun need a good compliment of soil amendments to hold the moisture and that will resolve that issue.

    I think the way to plant them is in large waves or blocks of 10 or more. The Coastal Maine Botanical Garden uses them in larger plantings and they are beautiful. Yesterday I saw a nice planting at a hospital down the road from Dartmouth College. The landscaper used rows 30 feet long planted 3 plants wide the entire length to create ribbons of color. Just special!

    Good gardening wishes!

    George Africa
    The Vermont Gardener
    http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com
    Vermont Flower Farm
    http://vermontflowerfarm.com

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  5. Olive BranchJuly 15, 2009 at 4:50 PM

    Thanks Jan and George!

    I'm glad to hear that other gardeners enjoy astilbe as much as I do. I like to hear that they can do well in sun, I look forward to trying them in my own garden.

    I also agree that they look best in large masses. I would love to visit the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden someday. Sounds beautiful.

    Mike

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