Astilba is a perennial rhizomatous plant that has straight stems and grows to a height of 2 m.
The plant blossoms with sufficiently lush and large buds, for which astilba is so much loved by flower growers.
Suitable varieties
Astilbe has a lot of unique and diverse varieties, the cultivation of which occurs in different parts of the world.
Did you know? Astilbe got its name due to the Scottish botanist Lord Hamilton, who, while describing a new plant, noted that the inflorescences and leaves lack luster. Therefore, it became known as "astilba", which means "without gloss."Consider the varieties of astilba, which can be planted in the Urals, as they are unpretentious to the growing conditions:
- Japanese - plant variety that reaches a height of 80 cm, a feature is its early flowering. The inflorescences are white or pink in color, the leaves can be shiny and ornamental.
- Chinese - A variety that grows up to 100 cm. It has large leaves at the base, and approaching inflorescences - smaller ones. The plant blooms mainly lilac flowers, while having a rather dense inflorescences.
- Astilbe Arends - A variety that was obtained by crossing David's astilbe with other varieties. As a result of breeding, quite a lot of shades of flowering of the plant have been derived. This variety can reach a height of 150 cm and has a spherical or conical shape.
- Prostolistnaya - A variety that reaches a height of 55 cm is very picky about climate humidity and watering frequency. Flowering in this variety has a white color, thinned and inflorescences air.
How to choose seedlings when buying
In order to buy perennial good quality, you must contact the specialized store.
When buying astilbe rhizomes, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the package has no damage, and sawdust and peat act as a soil filler, and the soil should be damp.
In addition to astilba, pansies, armeria, English roses, cornflowers, gladioli, gypsophila paniculata, silverweed shrub, bells, clematis, and oak sage are distinguished by long flowering.Plants must meet the following requirements:
- be asleep;
- not have pale and regrown shoots;
- the root must be healthy, supple and clean;
- also the rhizome should not be too dry, rotted or shriveled;
- There should be no signs of disease, mildew, suspicious wet spots, rot or slippery patches;
- the plant must have growth buds.
Important! It should be borne in mind: if the plant has already begun to wake up, then in no case should you send it to a cold place, otherwise it will die.
Choosing a place
It is necessary to choose a place for landing especially carefully, therefore pay attention to the following recommendations:
- The flower loves diffused light.
- To determine where to plant astilba on the site, you need to consider that it is well tolerated shadow and grows well between trees and buildings.
- When choosing a soil, it is necessary to take into account that it is light and retains moisture well.
- The plant does not tolerate stagnant water, so it is necessary to ensure good drainage or planted on high ground.
- Since the flower prefers moist air, if possible, it is better to choose a site near the reservoir.
Preparatory work before landing
Before planting astilba, care must be taken of the soil. To do this, dig up the plot, removing the roots of weeds, and fertilize the soil with rotted manure, compost or decomposed peat, using 2 buckets of organic matter per 1 square meter. meter plot.
Planting seedlings
The main question that interests beginner gardeners: when to plant astilba in open ground in spring. So, it is recommended to plant the plant at the end of May.
Recommendations for planting plants:
- When planting a flower, it is necessary to keep a distance and plant it in such a way that the distance between bushes is up to 40 cm.
- Next, you need to dig a hole to its depth and width was 30 cm.
- At the bottom fall asleep a glass of bone meal, a little humus and 30 grams of complex fertilizer for ornamental plants.
- After this fertilizer sprinkle a little earth, and you can start planting the roots of astilbe.
- If the soil during digging is not wet enough, then it should be watered before planting.
- Planting is made at a depth of 20 cm, while it is necessary to ensure that prospective sprouts do not sink below the soil layer by more than 5 cm.
Neighbor selection
The key to good flowering and the condition of astilbe is considered planting along with other plants.
Well suited astilbe:
- fern;
- Siberian iris;
- hosts;
- badan;
- geykhera;
- tiarell;
- geranium;
- bells.
Very effective before astilba will look undersized perennials, for example: grains, zhivuchka, yaskolka, navel, kamnelomka.
Did you know? Astilbe began to actively select in the XIX century: at this time up to 400 varieties were bred, most of them are still prevalent throughout the world.
How to care
Astilba is considered an unpretentious plant, so it does not take much time or attention to it. However, there is a feature that must be considered if you decide to plant an astilba in your area. The fact is that she has peculiarity to the growth of rhizomes in the upper layers of the soil and the decimation of the lower parts of the roots with time. At the same time, the astilba root system is often left without any nutrition, therefore it is necessary to carry out mulching of the soil in time.
Different materials are suitable for mulching:
- chopped straw;
- manure;
- compost;
- large sliver;
- pieces of bark;
- pebble or expanded clay;
- lowland peat.
Watering
Since the flower loves moisture, it must be watered often and abundantly. Especially should pay attention to watering in the summer, during the drought. Watering should be carried out in the morning and evening.
Important! Do not allow the soil to dry out, because it may adversely affect the decorativeness and condition of the plant.
Weed control
Weed control is an integral part of flower care, especially in the early years, astilbe will grow to the desired size and the root system will get stronger.
At this time, it is recommended to remove weeds near the plant, loosen the soil and prevent the roots of the weeds from squeezing out or weakening the roots of the flower.
Top dressing
Given that astilba has fairly large bushes that quickly deplete the soil, it is recommended to carry out regular fertilization.
The first introduction is best done in April, using nitrogen fertilizers or humus.
The second application is made in June with a solution of potash salt: each bush is watered with a liter of top dressing.
The third dressing is carried out when the plant blooms, and superphosphates are used: they are applied 15 grams for each plant.
Before you apply fertilizer, the bushes must be watered well, and after watering the soil should dry out a bit. Further, the soil is well burst and mulch.
Fight against diseases and pests
As well as any other ornamental plants, astilba can be exposed to diseases and pests.
It is especially necessary to distinguish pennitsa, gallic and strawberry nematode.
With the defeat of astilbe pennitsy leaf stalks acquire growths that are similar to foam. Within these formations, the colonization of the cicadal larvae occurs, and the leaves of the flower shrivel and turn yellow. These pests are very dangerous, so if you do not take measures in time, the flower dies very quickly.
Strawberry and the gall nematode affects the above-ground part of the plant: under its influence, the astilbe deforms, becomes covered with spots, and growth is inhibited.
Also, the pest affects the root system, there is the appearance of tumors in the form of growths, inside which the parasites settle. The defeat of pests is manifested in the inhibition of development, the absence of flowering - in the future the bush may die.
To combat these pests, the plant is recommended to spray insecticides, according to the instructions for use. Effective drugs are:
Important! If pest control measures are not taken in time, then severely affected plants will need to be destroyed so that they do not infect healthy specimens.
Of the diseases to which astilba is prone, the following can be distinguished:
- Bacterial spotting. The disease affects the leaves of the plant, while they acquire a black tint. If time does not take measures to combat the disease, then astilba eventually fades and dies. To combat this disease, it is recommended to use drugs that have copper in their composition.
- Root rot It also very often affects astilba, especially if the rules of watering are not followed and water stagnation in the soil is allowed. If the flower has already grown enough, it will not die, but will not bloom. If the plant is quite young and weak, then, most likely, it will die. In order to get rid of this disease, the flower is dug out and cut off all the leaves, and also remove the rotten roots. After it is planted in a new, more dried soil. Before planting, the plant is kept in a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Phytoplasma and viral diseases. Such a problem may occur if you have already purchased the infected planting material or used the contaminated soil. Such plants are not amenable to treatment, so it is especially necessary to choose astilba when buying and refuse to purchase if the plants have an unhealthy appearance or are brought from far away.
Preparing for the winter
The main attention during the cultivation of astilbe should be given to the first year, during which the plant should grow stronger in order to tolerate the upcoming winter well. During this period, should cut off all the flower stalks and not allow the plant to bloom. In this case, all the forces of astilba will be allowed to take root and form buds on the roots.
Astilba is considered to be quite resistant to low temperatures, so in winter you can do without shelter, but in some cases it is still necessary.
The older the plant, the more its resistance to bad weather is lost.
Important! Due to the fact that every year the root system of the plant rises higher in the soil, astilba may die for 4 years after the planting under the influence of severe frosts.
Also, if the autumn period was not carried out rejuvenation of old astilb, then they will have to be warmed for the winter. In order to insulate the plants in the autumn, it is necessary to cut the bush and install a metal frame above it, which is filled with leaves inside, and covered with a spunbond or lutrasil on top. It is possible to protect from moisture with plastic wrap, which cover the entire structure and press to the ground with bricks.
In addition, it is necessary to insulate those plants that survived a hot and dry summer: they are considered to be weakened and will go in this state for the winter. In this case, they should be insulated in the same way as old copies.
If astilba is healthy and young, then the preparation for winter will be easy enough. With the onset of cold weather, the terrestrial portion of the astilbe dies off, so it is recommended to cut it at the end of autumn, completely removing the shoots to the level of the soil. The part where the removal took place and where the roots are located approximately should be covered with soil, up to 4 cm in height. Then mulch with humus or peat.
Vegetative breeding methods
Astilbe is often grown by vegetative propagation. Planting seeds is practically not used in home reproduction. Therefore, we consider how to propagate astilbu by dividing the bush and the kidneys.
Dividing bush
It is easiest to propagate astilba dividing an adult bush. This procedure is carried out in the autumn or spring period so that each part has promising growth points and a sufficient number of roots for feeding. 
Important! The slices on the roots must be processed charcoal, which is pre-grind.
Planted astilba after dividing in open ground is necessary as well as in the usual case of disembarkation. It is only necessary to pay attention to watering - it should be daily.
The kidneys
Astilba can also be propagated through the separation of the kidneys:
- The procedure for cutting young buds is carried out in the spring, when the shoots begin to grow, and the buds are cut together with part of the root.
- Damaged parts in the cut must be covered with ash.
- The disembarkation of cut off buds should be carried out in a mixture of peat and gravel in a ratio of 3 to 1 and covered with a film after planting.
- Already strengthened astilbe must be planted at a permanent place of growth in the spring of next year.
