As a gardener with a shady yard and a lot of tall trees, I am always looking for perennials that will flower in the summer months. With a selection of cultivars to span the season, Astilbes fill the bill, with terrific displays from early June, into early August. Each individual plant gives two to three weeks of bloom.

Like most "shade "perennials, they will perform best with a couple of hours of direct sunlight in the morning; they will take full sun all day, but only with a good moisture supply. There are dozens of hybrids and species available. Colors range from pure white, to many shades of pink, to purple-pink, to scarlet red. Heights range from about 10 inches to four feet. Plants can be robust--Astilbe chinensis cultivars, like 'Visions' to very delicate, such as Astilbe simplicifolia 'Sprite.' 

As a buyer and a gardener, I favor the chinensis cultivars, as they are the most forgiving of drying out, and they also grow and show well in a pot.  Likewise, many of the hybrids, like 'Montgomery' and 'Elizabeth Bloom.' I have to say that my personal success with 'Sprite,' once the Perennial Plant of the Year, and other simplicifolia cultivars has not been as good. I tend to use the "stick it in the smallest hole you can dig and forget it" philosophy of gardening, though, so your experience may be different!

As stated, moisture is important. In a prolonged drought, many will die back to the ground, and not resprout until the following year. Since the foliage is attractive even when not in bloom, that is a shame. On many cultivars, the foliage emerges in the spring bronze or even red, and additonal reason to use Astilbe. You will find reference to this on our care signs.