Astilbe 'Fanal'
Astilbe x arendsii 'Fanal' · Saxifragaceae
Narrow plumes of deep garnet red over mahogany-tinted, ferny leaves. Raised by Georg Arends in 1933 and still the standard red astilbe.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid June to mid July
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around astilbe 'Fanal'
The planner designed this bed around astilbe 'Fanal' 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 'Fanal' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Astilbe 'Fanal' × 1, red
- 2 Green-and-gold × 19, yellow
- 3 Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips' × 8, blue
- 4 White snakeroot 'Chocolate' × 3, white
- 5 Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe' × 4, pink
- 6 Globe arborvitae 'Danica' × 1, green leaves
- 7 Camassia × 3, blue
- 8 Checkered lily × 7, purple
Why this plant
- The only plumes. The others are daisies, open bowls, dense clusters and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only red.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is the step between Carpathian bellflower 'Blue Clips' (8 in) in front and white snakeroot 'Chocolate' (3½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- One plant. Three or more is usual for a plant of this kind, and reads better.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid June to mid July.
- Part of the bed's peak. With green-and-gold in mid June: 2 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 5 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 52 to 48, left to right. Green-and-gold is the plant there is most of: 19 of the 46.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where astilbe 'Fanal' 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.
The darkest red for shade. Its bronze spring leaves are as good as the flowers. Like all astilbes it browns at the edges the moment the soil dries, so keep it watered.
- Red for moist shade
- Beside ponds and streams
- Massing under high trees
What to plant with astilbe 'Fanal'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Halcyon': its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Japanese painted fern: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; happy in the same moist soil.
- Siberian bugloss: flowers first, late April to late May, so the spot is never empty; bold leaves against its fine ones; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about astilbe 'Fanal'
Does astilbe 'Fanal' need sun or shade?
Astilbe 'Fanal' 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. It copes with soil that stays wet.
What zones does astilbe 'Fanal' 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 'Fanal' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid June to mid July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Late June to mid July |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Mid June to mid July |
| Zone 6 | Mid June to mid July |
| Zone 7 | Early June to early July |
| Zone 8 | Early June to early July |
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 'Fanal' 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 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many astilbe 'Fanal' 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 one in one group.
Is astilbe 'Fanal' 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 'Fanal'?
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 'Fanal'?
Astilbe 'Fanal' is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Bee balm: from early July to early August, 3 ft tall.
What does astilbe 'Fanal' look like in winter?
Astilbe 'Fanal' 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 'Fanal' good for bees and butterflies?
Astilbe 'Fanal' is visited by butterflies.
More Astilbe
- Astilbe Astilbe x arendsii
- Astilbe 'Bridal Veil' Astilbe x arendsii 'Bridal Veil'
- Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun' Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun'
- Astilbe 'Deutschland' Astilbe japonica 'Deutschland'
- 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 for wet soil and rain gardens
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 24 in (60 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
- Mid June to mid July; feathery plumes; red
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; bronze, dark 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
- Asia, hybrid origin
- Attracts
- Butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, wet soil, 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.