Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun'
Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' ·
The darkest foliage of any astilbe: glossy, chocolate-purple leaves all season, with loose plumes of the palest pink in late summer.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers mid July to early August
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun'
The planner designed this bed around astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' × 3, burgundy leaves
- 2 Blue star creeper × 11, blue
- 3 Lungwort × 5, white
- 4 Northern sea oats × 5, tan
- 5 Foxglove × 3, purple
- 6 White bleeding heart × 1, white
- 7 Snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Hardy cyclamen × 10, pink
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is the step between lungwort (12 in) in front and foxglove (4 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
- Fine leaf against bold. Foxglove is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 7 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 5 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowering is at its height in early June, with 3 kinds out together. The flowers stay on the cool side of the palette: blue, purple, pink, white and tan.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Foxglove is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Northern sea oats spreads aggressively.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Grow it as a foliage plant. In shade it holds its colour from spring to frost, and it is the natural partner for gold or blue hostas and the silver of painted ferns.
- Dark foliage for shade
- Contrast with gold and silver leaves
- Containers in shade
What to plant with astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese forest grass 'All Gold': low enough (14 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese painted fern: happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta 'June': bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun'
Does astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' need sun or shade?
Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and plenty of water.
What zones does astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is there a native plant like astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun'?
Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Red baneberry: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early May to late May, medium leaves, not fine.
- Western maidenhair fern: the same job in a bed and the same size.
- Palm sedge: the same job in a bed; 4 in taller.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' look like in winter?
Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Astilbe
- Astilbe Astilbe x arendsii
- Astilbe 'Bridal Veil' Astilbe x arendsii 'Bridal Veil'
- Astilbe 'Deutschland' Astilbe japonica 'Deutschland'
- Astilbe 'Fanal' Astilbe x arendsii 'Fanal'
- Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume' Astilbe thunbergii 'Straussenfeder'
- Astilbe 'Purple Candles' Astilbe chinensis 'Purpurkerze'
- Astilbe 'Sprite' Astilbe simplicifolia 'Sprite'
- Chinese astilbe 'Visions' Astilbe chinensis 'Visions'
- Dwarf Chinese astilbe Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila'
- Tall astilbe 'Superba' Astilbe chinensis var. taquetii 'Superba'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Mid July to early August; feathery plumes; pink, white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; burgundy, purple
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- Moderate, in spring
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.