Astilbe 'Deutschland'
Astilbe japonica 'Deutschland' · Saxifragaceae
Dense, upright plumes of clean white over bright green leaves. The earliest of the popular astilbes to flower.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Late May to late June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around astilbe 'Deutschland'
The planner designed this bed around astilbe 'Deutschland' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why astilbe 'Deutschland' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Astilbe 'Deutschland' × 3, white
- 2 Creeping mahonia × 8, yellow
- 3 Carpathian bellflower × 2, blue
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 5, yellow
- 5 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 6 Globe arborvitae 'Danica' × 1, green leaves
- 7 Snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only plumes. The others are dense clusters, bells, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- At the back. At 20 in it stands behind the taller globe arborvitae 'Danica' (24 in).
- A step in the back row. Next to brown-eyed Susan (4 ft) and foxglove beardtongue (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From late May to late June.
- Part of the bed's peak. With Carpathian bellflower and foxglove beardtongue in late June: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 4 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowering year starts with snowdrop in early March and ends with brown-eyed Susan in early October. White is the colour seen most, on 3 of the 6 kinds grown for their flowers.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 7 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where astilbe 'Deutschland' goes in a border
At 20 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.
Plant it with later kinds to stretch the astilbe season from late May into August. It forces well in pots and is the white most often used for cutting.
- Early white plumes for shade
- Stretching the astilbe season
- Cutting
What to plant with astilbe 'Deutschland'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Bleeding heart: in flower together for two weeks, from late May; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Japanese primrose: in flower together for four weeks, from late May; bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about astilbe 'Deutschland'
Does astilbe 'Deutschland' need sun or shade?
Astilbe 'Deutschland' grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and plenty of water.
What zones does astilbe 'Deutschland' 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.
When does astilbe 'Deutschland' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to late June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Early June to early July |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 6 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 7 | Mid May to late June |
| Zone 8 | Early May to late June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should astilbe 'Deutschland' be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many astilbe 'Deutschland' plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 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 astilbe 'Deutschland' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat astilbe 'Deutschland'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after astilbe 'Deutschland'?
Astilbe 'Deutschland' is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Daylily: from late June to early August, 2½ ft tall.
- Bee balm: from early July to early August, 3 ft tall.
What does astilbe 'Deutschland' look like in winter?
Astilbe 'Deutschland' 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.
Is astilbe 'Deutschland' good for bees and butterflies?
Astilbe 'Deutschland' is visited by pollinators and bees.
More Astilbe
- Astilbe Astilbe x arendsii
- Astilbe 'Bridal Veil' Astilbe x arendsii 'Bridal Veil'
- Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun'
- 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
- Plants for deep shade
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Plants for bees
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late May to late June; feathery plumes; white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- Moderate, in spring
- Family
- Saxifragaceae
- Comes from
- Japan
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, deep shade, black walnut
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.