What to Do if Your Astilbe Fails to Bloom

What to Do if Your Astilbe Fails to Bloom

A beloved ornamental for the shade garden, astilbe is an herbaceous perennial that produces masses of pretty flowers amid lacy, fern-like foliage.

But if they won’t bloom, you’re missing out on their exceptional showiness!

The Astilbe genus provides beautiful, feathery flowers in colors that include burgundy, coral, cream, lavender, pink, scarlet, violet, and white, flowering from spring to late summer, depending on the variety.

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But if your astilbe plants haven’t bloomed for a while or flower production is declining, it’s usually a result of a few general cultivation errors. Happily, ones that are easily corrected.

Are you ready to learn why your astilbe isn’t blooming and what to do about it? Then let’s dig into the common reasons and how to restore abundant flowering!

Here’s a quick look at what’s ahead:

Although astilbe plants are generally easy-care perennials that adapt to a variety of soils except clay, they thrive when grown in optimal conditions and put on beautiful shows of emerald to bronzy green foliage with tall, colorful flowers.

For masses of stately flowers and ample, lush foliage, provide astilbe with cool, moist, and loosely textured soil that’s well-draining, rich in organic matter, and has a slightly acidic pH of 6.0.

Species in the Astilbe genus are heavy feeders and benefit from the addition of organic materials twice a year. More on fertilizing in a bit, so keep reading!

In spring and fall, gently work in generous amounts of compost or well-rotted manure into the soil around the rhizomes, taking care not to damage the roots.

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