Being native to Asia and to the northern American continent, the Astilbe are perennial plants cultivated for their beautiful appearance. Their full flowering bloom attracts gardeners and buyers worldwide, as it fits any decoration or any floral arrangement. A garden of Astilbes looks rich and abundant, as the flowers of the Astilbe plant can cheer up and lighten even the dullest of gardens with their vivid colors. Most cultivators use Astilbe as a decorative flower, but its use goes way beyond decorations and ornamental schemes, as it even has a symbolism surrounding it that suggests the flower stands for “ Forever there waiting”.
The genus Astilbe is not very numerous as it contains only 18 species belonging to the Saxifragaceae family, but it sure is beautiful. Following the policy with less is more; the beautiful Astilbe flowers are highly demanded in commerce and very much liked by both cultivators, for their unpretentious growth conditions, and by customers, for their gorgeous and full appearance. Some of the names people use to refer to the Astilbe flower are False Goat’s Beard or False Spirea, all inspired by the shape of the flower.
One of the very first species, belonging to the Astilbe genus and known to Europeans goes by the name of Bergenia crassifoilia, a flower of extreme beauty and colorfulness which appeared around 1760. This specie had a red blossom and was considered to be one of nature’s miracles. Because the Astilbe flower is not very pretentious to soil conditions or even to temperatures, the occurance of such plant in the most unexpected places is often surprising. The flower can occur in the shade or in the sun, the only requirement being a soil rich in water.
The height that could be attained by the Astilbes flower can measure up to 2 feet and it usually blooms from March till September, being a spring flower. Given its popularity amongst flower lovers, the cultivators have managed to produce even hybrids of this flower that sell quite surprisingly. Amongst the most famous and demanding colors, we can enumerate the Astilbes available on pink, rose, white or burgundy.
After cutting off the stem, the Astilbe can resist up to 7 days, which makes it the perfect ingredient for floral arrangement and for decorative purposes. Florists often use the flower as filling for their bouquets or to simply to decorate their settings with colorful and beautiful flowers.
With their dense foliage, The Astilbes are amongst the most desired flowers to cultivate, but don’t forget that just as any flower, this one too requires nurturing, a peaty soil, climacteric conditions and last, but not least, your attention.
Astilbe Pictures Gallery
