| Common Name | Chinese Astilbe; false goat's beard; false Spirea |
| Genus | |
| Species | chinensis |
| Family | Saxifragaceae |
| Life Cycle | herbaceous perennial |
| Bundle Size | 10 bare roots per bundle |
| Care | All of these plants will ship to you from Vermont in early April. They will be just coming out of dormancy. You may see swelling buds or a bit of new growth, but in general they will be in a dormant state and may look a little dead. Don't worry! They will wake up. You may see a bit of mold on the roots but this is completely normal. Simply wash it off and plant immediately. As a precaution you can treat the roots with a fungicide or biofungicide, but this isn't necessary. Small broken branches are also of little concern. Just prune off any broken bits and the plant will recover quickly. The root system is the important part at this stage in the game. If you can't plant immediately on arrival store your bare roots in the cooler.The cold will delay their growth. Keep them from freezing. You can either pot them into 1 gallon pots or plant them directly into your prepared soil. Just make sure to plant them within a few days of arrival. They are waking up and are ready to grow, and they will decline quickly if they are not given soil, water and sunshine. This is a carefully orchestrated process to get plants quickly from their storage conditions to you so please do your part and be ready to plant them on arrival. There is no reason that these plants will experience any stress if you prepare for their arrival. |
| Netting / Staking | None |
| Hardiness | Hardiness zones 3-8 |
| Spacing | Spacing 12-18" |
| Soil Preference | Moisture retentive; high organic matter. |
| Light |
In hotter climates, Astilbe appreciates some shade in the heat of the day. In cool summer climates you can grow it in full sun as long as it never dries out. |
| Water | In the UK they think of Astilbe as plant to put around ponds because it loves water. In the US we tend to think of it as shade perennial. In reality it is both. It loves moisture retentive soil. |
| When to Plant | Spring, when the ground is workable. |
| Harvesting | Harvest when the lower 25% of the inflorescence has opened. The uppermost buds should be swollen and showing color. |
| Post Harvest Care | Cut stems should be placed immediately in 130F, acidified solution. Leaving the stems dry even for a few hours will reduce the vase life of the cut stems. Flowers are sensitive to ethylene. Pretreatment with EthylBloc (an antiethylene compound) is recommended. If flowers are not sold immediately, store them in a 33-40F cooler for up to 7 to 10 days in a solution containing a bactericide. Polyethylene sleeves are better than paper sleeves. Use of preservatives in the vase solution will increase the vase life of cut stems. |
| Diseases / Insects | Leaf spots; powdery mildew; Fusarium wilt; Asiatic garden beetle; Black Vine weevil |
| Bailey's Notes | This dainty beauty is one of my favorite cut perennials. It looks dainty and expensive but it really easy to grow. Cut Astilbe always fetches a good price. It has a delicate quality that works perfectly in bridal bouquets and yet can hold it's own in a table arrangement. They have thin but sturdy stems that are easy to use in designs. These bare root plants will produce a few flowers in their first year, and then will bulk up more with each passing season. |
| Resources |
Astilbe chinensis Ivory Pearls UMass Amherst Post Harvest Handling of Six Field Grown Flowers |