UACES Facebook Astilbe
skip to main content

Astilbe

June 2010

QuestionThis spring I planted a false spirea -- Astilbe japonica variety Red Sentinel. Can you tell me something about its care? Do I prune it or cut it back to the ground at some point, and if so, when?

 

AnswerAstilbe plants are often touted as shade perennials, but they do best in light shade. They prefer a rich garden soil with ample moisture with defused sunlight or morning sun and afternoon shade. Rarely will you see good blooms in heavy shade. Astilbes are deciduous and will die back to the soil line after a hard freeze. You can cut back the old foliage then, or leave the dried flower heads for winter interest and clean them up as new growth is beginning in the spring.


 

All links to external sites open in a new window. You may return to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture web site by closing this window when you are finished. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the information, or the accessibility for people with disabilities listed at any external site.

Links to commercial sites are provided for information and convenience only. Inclusion of sites does not imply University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's approval of their product or service to the exclusion of others that may be similar, nor does it guarantee or warrant the standard of the products or service offered.

The mention of any commercial product in this web site does not imply its endorsement by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture over other products not named, nor does the omission imply that they are not satisfactory.

Top