Astilbe ==> doss and dax

do either of you have close ups of the foliage?

I browsed the "plant files" and there was maybe 1 image of the foliage.

and what is the general height?
foliage and plumes

TIA,

Terese

Here's a close up of one kind. They range in height between 10" and 4 feet depending on the cultivar. Some have dark foliage too. They also bloom at different times depending on the cultivar so you can choose whether to have them bloom at one time or over a period. I've found that the height listed it the top of the flowers. The foliage is usually about 1/2 that in my experience.

This message was edited Apr 26, 2007 5:32 PM

thanks.... i just really didnt know what the foliage looked like.

I understand about the colors/bloom time as you explained that in a different thread.

Terese

Ok Terese - sorry I didn't remember. The foliage is really beautiful and I would grow it for a foliage plant even if it didn't have flowers. It's hard to find something lacy like that in a shade garden. Hope that you try them.

Hi tcs1366 - Sorry to get back to you so late - I just got on, been in the garden ALL day. I'm in heaven! Here are a few pics - as close as I have of the foliage. First is a dwarf fern leaf - this one gets to be about 8" and is lovely with small hosta - a beautiful fern leaf that looks good all summer -

This is the white - looks pretty much the same as the pink - dark green, thin pointed leaves - gets about 2 feet high (the foliage) -

And here is a beautiful color - they call it lavender - the leaves are broader and brighter green. Same height as the pink and white -
Hope these help - Dax

thanks dax... they are beautiful.

Here's a picture of my 'Peach Blossom' astilbe after the blooms have faded: http://davesgarden.com/journal/edit/showimage.php?eid=95701

They don't rebloom so I don't deadhead them. When the leaves start to die I cut them to the ground, usually the beginning of November.

I agree with doss; the foliage is beautiful. The blooms are extra!

very nice.... thanks for adding the link.

I'm thinking i need MORE of these. 1 of the 3 i planted this spring has started to poke out of the ground.

I was just talking to one of my neighbors... she's been in the park over 20 yrs -- and her gardens are gorgeous.
I was asking her what some of the stuff in my yard is... since i have no idea. I do have astilbes coming up. YAY.
and other things that i thought were weeds, she said will flower. though i dont know what they are.

she also said that before they sell (in a yr or so -- they are in their 70's) she will divide a lo t of her plants and give some to me. another YAY.

tcs1366, those are the best kind of plants to get -- dearly loved and cared for by someone with goregeous gardens!

I have 22 astilbe planted in that drift. They are absolutely wonderful as you are approaching our driveway. I wait eagerly for them to start blooming every year. Here they are in bloom last June: http://davesgarden.com/journal/edit/showimage.php?eid=91262. My camera doesn't really do the peach color justice.

This message was edited May 4, 2007 1:31 PM

Wow! Absolutely beautiful, sdagutis - I hope mine look like that some day - and Terese, not only will you get dearly loved plants, but they know that they are going to someone who will care for them and love them too - now, I'll be cleaning and running around for the rest of the week for my daughter's wedding on Saturday - so you probably won't hear from me for awhile. I will be posting some pics as the happy couple are having some taken in my gardens and I know they will be stunning! (Not that I'm prejudiced or anything!) - Becki

A pic taken last Friday -

gorgeous Becki... as usual.

have a great weekend

terese

This is the astible garden. It's not blooming yet but you can see the feathery foliage.

Just beautiful!! And I love those ferns as highlights - I'm just getting started with ferns. Is that one on the right a Japanese Painted? Dax

I don't know what kind of a fern that is. New growth is bronze turning to green. My favorite fern right now is Alaskan Soft Shield Fern or divided soft shield fern. Polystichum setiferum is hardy in your zone. I just planted a bunch with some astilbes in my new hosta garden. I love Japanese Painted fern and I have a few but they don't grow well here. I don't think that it's cold enough for them in the winter time. So many good ferns so little time.

yes doss... that fern is very pretty.

and speaking of ferns... mine are multiplying so much, that the areas i wanted to put my new hostas are now filled with ferns.

so -- i may just cut them back and in the fall dig them up. but one problem, is they are directly at the lil retaining wall so i can't get a shovel in there to "pry" them out.

my lil astilbes are buried in ferns too.... unless they get their full height in the first year.... but all 3 of them are now growing. YAY.

Some of those ferns can really get excited, can't they? You must have picked tall cultivars to get above those ferns. What kind of ferns do you have that are taking over?

I believe they are ostrich ferns.

we took them from our old house when we moved. My mom planted the originals eons ago (mid-late 70's)
I recall some getting about 3ft -- these right now are maybe 2' ... but boy have they filled in this year. It seems every year we may lose 10, but gain another 20. I think we started with 10 in the fall of '01.

this is looking east... where in the image in "Landscaping the North Side"
http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=3260158
the image is looking west. (but there is nothing there)

I've got more images to come ==>

here is the east corner... i like it to look real pretty, since this is what you see from the street and our driveway.

as you can see, it's not very wide -- my dwarf bleeding heart is looking fabulous... it is really filling out. You can see two tiny hostas that i just planted last week... and then the ferns.... it's the ones in the front that "bother" me... if they were all in the back, they wouldn't be covering up the other plants.

**typo

This message was edited May 9, 2007 7:57 PM

i just love this one.... ain't it cute?

last but not least... since this was the Astilbe thread..... [Deutschland]

here's mine (it's caged so i could find it coming up) with the montrose tricolor in front.

It IS cute. If the fern in front is bothering you, please transplant it somewhere else. I think that you will be happy doing that. Those ferns sure are gorgeous but something that tall at the front of the bed can block the flow - especially since these look as if they are small versions of the full sized plants. That bleeding heart is precious. I love it. I should think of growing some.

curious -- how many years will it take to get mature height for the astilbe?
or does the foliage stay a bit lower, then the plumes are much higher?

I have found a few spattered about the lot at the RV park... at first i had no idea what they were til i asked the neighbor lady.

up here (i'm in wisc now) they are still quite small... where at home the foliage is getting tall.... teehee... probably trying to compete with the ferns that are taking over the bed.

The foliage stays lower and the plumes are much higher. They could be different cultivars that you are looking at. They seem to gain mature height rather quickly but I have some that are taller and some that are smaller right in the same bed.

thanks doss. makes sense.

there are actually 2 here that i notice.... one seems to be growing higher, where the other is spreading low.

We'll look forward to photos!

yes -- certainly once they bloom.

Astilbe must be my all-time favorite perennial. I have at least 30 plants and I'm far from done ;o) I just can't stop myself whenever I run across one that I don't have yet!! LOL.

Here's a picture from last year.

And another.

They are just starting to bloom this year - I can't wait!!

Now that is a stunning color combination and all blooming at the same time. Genius!

that is gorgeous..... is that "red" or a deeper like burgundy? very pretty.

Thank you. The first picture is red and pink (a combination I actually didn't care for, so I moved them last year - but it doesn't look so bad in the picture...hmmm...) In the second picture I have pink and purple (kind of a plum purple).

Doss said, "I don't know what kind of a fern that is. New growth is bronze turning to green."

I don't think it is a Japanese Painted fern. Mine are more gray-green with burgundy stems. http://davesgarden.com/journal/ed/viewimage.php?did=27684

I don't think that it's a japanese Painted Fern either. I have some and this fern is much larger. Your Journal is very nice by the way. I enjoyed all of the pots especially. Perhaps it's an autumn fern.

here's an autumn - but it also has other images.
http://www.westongardens.com/page%20content/plant%20library/autumn%20fern.htm

heres the description
>>Olive-green fronds. New growth is coppery-pink. Bronze fall color. Mature leaves are excellent in cut arrangements.

Yep, that's it. Thanks!

i love the Japanese Painted -- i just wish it was larger.

I should look into the "Autumn" also, since i bet the bronze in the Fall is gorgeous.