A plant like Astilba does not always attract the interest of landscape designers at the time when it blooms, because not only lush and luxurious inflorescences are appreciated in it. The interesting shape of the leaves, with which Astilba was awarded by nature, is one of the reasons why gardeners plant it on their plots. She harmonizes well with other plants when standing in bouquets, placing the right accents favorably.
Previously, Astilba could be seen only on the balconies only among avid flower growers, but now she has chosen a new place of residence for herself.
Beautiful AstilbaAll because of the picturesque appearance of Astilba: slender and long shoots with many inflorescences can decorate absolutely any lawn,
This photo of Astilba and the hosts in landscape design can confirm the words. Some varieties of plants with low growth are usually used to decorate alpine slides.
The main flowering period occurs in the hottest part of summer July. But in fact, as mentioned above, the flowering itself is not so important, because the lace leaves of a rich green hue are able to give the site freshness throughout the year.
Lawn with AstilbiaThe varieties correctly selected for the climate and conditions will help to extend the flowering period of Astilba from July to the end of September. But sometimes even these terms are not limited, and Astilba pleases the eye even longer.
What a gardener should know about Astilba?
Astilbia deep redSo, Astilba is a worthy representative of the class of perennial herbaceous saxifrage plants. Her homeland is China and Japan. In view of this variety, they were divided into 2 parts: Japanese Astilba and Chinese.
Astilba in landscape design
Astilba looks great in landscape design, you can find a variety of photos on the Internet. Plants of Japanese origin reach 70 cm in height. They have shiny, as if laminated, green foliage with an openwork shape of the edges. The naked eye can also see a thin cobweb of burgundy-red veins launched over the leaves. Inflorescences of Japanese Astilba are pink, reaching quite large sizes .
The flowering parade is continued by the Arends variety, which dissolves inflorescences only by mid-July. If we compare the sizes, then such a plant is 30 cm higher than the previous one. Arendsa also has leaves of a fancy lace-like shape, but their color is much darker than that of the Japanese variation. The shades of flowers, connected in lush inflorescences, are very different: nature has painted them in bluish blue and white.
And only by mid-August in all its glory appears before us the Chinese variety of Astilba. Its inflorescences acquire a palette from white and pink to mysterious lilac. The leaves are similar in tone to the Japanese relative.
The photo of Astilba in landscape design will help to show this beautiful picture in all its glory.
Distinctive features of Astilba
Perfect combination of white Astilba with a green gardenAs it is already clear from the above, the color of Astilba inflorescences is not limited to one single one, there are many of them: lilac, white, pinkish, there are even red. Moreover, inflorescences differ in density and density, as well as in the size and duration of flowering (the most common varieties vary in the following ranges: from two weeks to more than a month).
As for caring for Astilbes, here you do not need to bother too much and torment yourself in guesses about whether the soil that is in your summer cottage is suitable for the plant. In addition to its beautiful appearance, it is distinguished by its unpretentiousness. In view of this, experienced designers and gardeners recommend that beginners plant Astilba.
This plant can grow in the same place for up to 10 years without losing its external qualities and without acquiring a disease.
Lawn with a house by the riverAstilba perfectly tolerates low temperatures, which are by no means uncommon in our climate, and independently emerges victorious from the war against insects and pests.
The main condition on which the beauty and health of the plant depends on illumination. Astilba loves places with enough shade. Do not look for extremely dark corners, just choose an area where the amount of shade will prevail over the sun during the day.
Also, it is better not to plant Astilba near large trees, as they take a lot of nutrients from the soil. The plant will feel even better if you take care of timely and regular feeding of the soil with various fertilizers.
If your summer cottage is located in regions with dry and frosty winters with practically no snow, then Astilba needs to be covered during the cold season in order to avoid serious problems.
Astilba loves a lot of moisture, so don't forget about watering. The most basic thing to observe when caring for this plant:
Then your plant will retain its appearance for many years and will look just as great as in this photo of Astilba in landscape design.
What is Astilba for designers?
Now landscape designers use Astilba to decorate summer cottages quite often, especially in cases where there is a flower bed, rabatka or decorative ponds on the territory. According to the rules, Astilba bushes are located in small groups, but sometimes exceptions are made and whole arrays with different shades of inflorescences are built from the plant.
Landscape design with astilba photo of a great idea for a flower garden.
Astilba bushes look great with bulbous plants (irises, gladioli, daffodils), with various types of host and ferns. Astilba is planted next to solid-colored hedges and fences to add color and color.
Flower beds look especially impressive where plants are alone. It can be a flower garden made on a hillock and at the edges bounded by bizarre stones. But shrubs do not lose their attractiveness, combining with other flowers.
Daylilies are good neighbors in places where shade is strong. Both plants have varieties that vary in terms and time of flowering, so if you sit a little over the design (take into account the time and period of flowering), it is quite possible to create a luxurious flower garden that will fill the area with paints during the summer.
If, nevertheless, it was not possible to find a shaded place, then with Astilba it is better to plant sun-loving plants, such as Geykhera. You can see the options for flower beds in the photo of Astilba in landscape design.
Astilba is an unpretentious plant that can delight you not only during flowering. It is well suited for floristry, when dried, the plant will perfectly decorate winter bouquets.