One of the things few people think of when they’re house shopping is what direction their house faces. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, homes that face north or south have at least one side of their home that gets a ton of shade. So what shrubs do you plant there? The answer in Washington is Astilbe. These look like cotton candy sticks with a ton of leaves around their base. I especially love the fluffy white ones.
Water Frequently
Astilbe love the water almost as much as they love the shade. So in the late summer months, July to September, make sure they get watered enough. If you have them lining the back side of your house where the sprinklers are, you can actually water them too much. If that’s an issue, line umbrellas over them facing the sprinklers. Just remember to remove the umbrellas afterward.
Soil
Astilbe love loamy, moist soil in zones 3-8. That makes them perfect for the Pacific Northwest. The soil here is usually not sandy and not full of clay. The evergreens and decaying underbrush make the soil very loamy. The constant rain makes it very moist.
Winter Mulch
When the temperature turns cold for winter, put some mulch around the roots to protect them. But other that that, Astilbe survive the winter just fine. They’re hardy perennials that live year after year and provide beautiful plumes of color.
Fertilizer
Astilbe are hardy and low-maintenance shrubs. But if you find them not blooming or looking limp, add some phosphorus rich fertilizer. Astilbe are like most flowering shrubs, they love phosphorus.
Propagating
As your Astilbe grow and thrive, they will eventually need to be thinned after 5 years. Simply dig up the plant, gently separate the root into several pieces, then plant them 12 inches apart. This makes Astilbe one of the most frugal plants you can buy. You buy them once and they give you an endless supply of new plants.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this article about shade-loving astilbe. Even in a competitive market like Lacey, houses are more than just real estate. They’re homes, where people live, and that means we want them to be functional, but beautiful too.
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