At the summer cottage, more and more often the eye is attracted by such a beautiful plant as astilba. It is successfully grown by both amateurs and professional florists. The perennial plant has decorative foliage and a beautiful panicle inflorescence, so it can become a garden decoration for many years.
Description of the flower
Astilba is a member of the Kamnelomkov family. The word is translated as "very shiny" due to the special shine of the leaves. The plant develops in the form of a bush with different heights - from 20 cm to 2 m. Inflorescences also have different heights depending on the variety and can reach from 8 to 60 cm in length. Shades of flowers are purple, pink, red in a variety of variations. The flowering period is June-September. The seeds are in a small box.
The inflorescence can be formed in various shapes, therefore, the drooping, pyramidal and rhombic astilba are distinguished.
The historical homeland of Astilbe is considered to be the territories of East Asia, America and Japan.
Types and varieties of astilba
One way to classify astilba is based on the height of an adult bush. There are the following types:
- Dwarf varieties - up to 30 cm.
- Low-growing varieties - up to 60 cm.
- Medium height - up to 90 cm.
- Tall - 1.2-2 m.
Astilba in its kind has about 400 different species, but the Russian harsh climate allows you to grow only a small part of them. In summer cottages, you can find the following varieties:
Astilba Arends - got its name in honor of the famous scientist. It belongs to a tall variety with an inflorescence length of about 1.5 m. Flowering is long, shades of flowers vary from white to deep burgundy;
Chinese astilbe - inflorescences are rarely more than 0.4 m long. The variety is unpretentious and has a drooping bush structure. Panicle shades are red, white, or pink;
Japanese astilba - refers to a dwarf species, reaching a maximum height of 0.4 m. It prefers constantly moist soil, therefore it can become an adornment of both natural and artificial reservoirs. The structure of the bush is drooping;
Common astilbe - the most frost-resistant variety, shades of flowers are white, yellow or cream;
Astilba Thunbrga - refers to the pyramidal type, sprawling bush, densely covered with foliage. The variety is tall, belongs to a moisture-loving species, therefore it is suitable for decorating reservoirs.
Astilba planting rules in the open field
Astilba is an unpretentious plant for growing conditions, but in order to obtain the most lush bush and abundant flowering, certain rules for its cultivation must be observed.
Site selection and soil requirements
Astilba grows well in brightly lit areas, but without direct sunlight.It should also not be planted in dense shade, especially under garden trees, as their root system will have a depressing effect on the plant.
Depending on the variety, the level of soil moisture is regulated. So some types of astilba are best grown near water bodies. Light shade is best tolerated by varieties with white inflorescences.
Astilba is suitable for creating alpine slides. It can be successfully combined in the neighborhood with lilies of the valley, hosta, mountain goat weed, badan, tulips. The choice of the foreground or background of planting is carried out depending on the height of the variety.
Astilba will show good growth on almost any soil, but it will not be superfluous to make it looser, apply organic fertilizers.
Landing time and technology
The shrub is planted in the spring, from late March to early May. If the transplant is carried out in the fall, then this must be done long before the onset of the first frost, otherwise the plant will take root poorly and die.
The bush is planted in a pre-prepared hole so that the root collar of the plant is not covered with earth. A distance of at least half a meter is left between the bushes.
The planted bush is watered abundantly, and the hole is covered with a thick layer of mulch so that moisture lingers in the soil for a long time, and also in order to protect the root system from overheating by the sun's rays.
Outdoor astilba care
The main thing for observing the rule of caring for astilba is to constantly keep the soil moist. Drying out of the substrate is detrimental to the plant. Periodically, the soil is loosened and fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium are applied to it. Nitrogen fertilizing is applied only once for the whole season - before flowering.
After each loosening, the soil surface should be covered with a thick layer of mulch.
A young plant with a small root system can be oppressed by weeds, so the bush will need regular weeding. With the growth and development of astilba, the need for this disappears.
Transplant and formation of a bush
Astilba tolerates the process of transplanting it to a new place well. You need to transplant the plant once every 5 years. If this is not done, then the root system will come close to the soil surface and begin to dry, and the plant itself may die. With a new transplant, the bush is deepened by 5 cm.
If astilba was grown from seeds, then early transplantation will only harm it, since the root system of such a plant forms slowly. It is not at all necessary to change the place when transplanting, you can simply dig up the plant, add fertilizer into the hole and plant the bush back, deepening it by 5 cm.
The bush does not need additional pruning, since it forms the necessary crown on its own. Only occasionally is it necessary to remove dried leaves and stems, as well as wilted flower stalks.
Astilba flower propagation
The astilbe flower can be successfully propagated in one of the following ways.
Dividing the bush
The procedure is carried out in the spring when transplanting an adult plant. Each plot should contain two or more buds. As a result of division, we have several full-fledged plants with an independent developed root system. The place of dividing the bush is covered with ash or charcoal for disinfection.
Budding (or grafting)
Reproduction by budding is carried out in the spring. One bud is separated from an adult bush and planted in a greenhouse. After the cutting takes root, it is kept at home until next spring, after which it is planted in open ground.
Sowing seeds
The least preferred method, as the seeds are quite small, difficult to work with, and also have a low germination rate. You can activate the seed germination process in the following way. For this, the seeds are kept for 20 days at an ambient temperature of +4 to -4 degrees. After this period, they are placed in a warm room for 3 days.
For sowing, use a container containing a substrate from a mixture of peat and sand.Seeds are poured onto its surface. It is not necessary to cover with a layer of soil. The greenhouse is daily ventilated and humidified from a spray bottle. Keep in a bright place at high temperatures. To cover the greenhouse, I use glass or transparent plastic wrap.
The first shoots can be observed on days 21-28. As soon as the first pair of leaves is formed, the astilbe dives. Seed propagation is the least preferred method, since the resulting plant specimens can turn out with unexpected color of panicles, low decorative effect of leaves, weak and short flowering.
Preparing Astilba for winter
Proper care helps to grow a healthy and strong astilba, which can easily endure wintering and low temperatures, and in spring and summer will again delight the gardener with good growth and lush flowering.
Peduncles, which have already withered, need to be cut off in time so that they do not take away excess moisture and nutrients from the bush. The only exceptions are those flower stalks from which the gardener plans to receive seeds in the future.
With the onset of late autumn, before the first frost, ground pruning of the entire bush is carried out. Astilba is a frost-resistant plant, therefore it does not need additional covering material. To protect it from frost, only a snow cover will be enough for it. If winter in certain areas of the country passes without snowfall, then astilba can be covered with a thin layer of spruce branches, straw, fallen leaves.
Diseases and pests
Astilba is a plant resistant to pests and various diseases. With improper care, its root system can dry out, which will lead to wilting of the leaves.
Among insect pests, astilbe is most often affected:
- Slobbering stump - leads to yellowing and falling leaves;
- Gallic nematode affects the roots of the plant, it stops blooming, then dies. You can cope with the pest with the help of phytoverm. If the pest does not die from the effects of the poison, then the affected bush will need to be destroyed along with the root system, otherwise the disease will spread to healthy plants. In the place where the infected bush grows, it is not recommended to plant healthy bushes during the first few years.
- Strawberry nematode - affects the leaves of the plant, leads to the formation of brown spots. You can fight it with an insecticide.
- Cicadas draw the sap out of the plant, causing it to become light-colored. It is destroyed with the help of poisons such as aktara, karbofos.
Astilba needs more care for the first two years of life. In the future, it will not require much attention to itself, but will delight with lush flowering and beautiful decorative foliage.
