When it comes to gardening in a shaded location, many of us turn to classic fallback options like hostas and foxgloves. Astilbe is a perennial that blooms for up to three weeks, producing elegant spikes or clusters of flowers.
Find the perfect cultivars for your shady areas with this guide.
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Multiple varieties of astilbe are available for you to choose from, with flowers covering a broad spectrum of colors. The foliage varies too, ranging from a deep green to a darker brown tone and everything in between.
It’s also incredibly easy to grow. You can view tips on how to do that in our guide to growing astilbe.
With so many gorgeous combinations of foliage and flowers for you to choose from, astilbe is a wonderful addition to the shade garden.
Let’s get started:
No matter what kind of overall look you are trying to achieve in your garden, it’s likely that there is an astilbe variety to suit your needs.
First cultivated in the late 18th century, these plants are the perfect choice for the shade garden, though there are some that can be grown in sunnier conditions as well.
There are 18 different species in the Astilbe genus and numerous hybrid cultivars. The most commonly grown species in home gardens include A. chinensis, A. japonica, A. thunbergii, and A. simplicifolia along with a large number of hybrids.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, George Arends, a plant breeder from Germany developed named hybrid cultivars known collectively as A. x arendsii.
All types of astilbe offer a feathery texture with tall spires of flowers, though the color of
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