Dwarf Chinese astilbe
Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila' ·
A low, creeping astilbe with stiff, mauve-pink plumes in late summer, after the others have finished. It tolerates drier soil than its relatives.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Late July to late August
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around dwarf Chinese astilbe
The planner designed this bed around dwarf Chinese astilbe 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 dwarf Chinese astilbe stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf Chinese astilbe × 8, pink
- 2 Lungwort × 4, blue
- 3 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 5, pink
- 4 Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' × 3, white
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Lady's mantle × 3, green
- 7 Winter cyclamen × 10, pink
- 8 Snowdrop × 8, white
Why this plant
- The only plumes. The others are dense clusters, spires, open bowls and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 12 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 42% of the edge.
- 8 plants in 2 runs (5 and 3). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From late July to late August.
- Fills a gap. For three of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' and turtlehead 'Hot Lips' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. The flowers run from early February to mid October: 32 weeks in all.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 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 dwarf Chinese astilbe goes in a border
At 12 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
The only astilbe that works as a carpet, and the last to flower. Its narrow, upright plumes are a different shape from the feathery hybrids, so the two can be combined.
- Groundcover for part shade
- Late-summer colour at the front of a shady bed
- Edging
What to plant with dwarf Chinese astilbe
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- 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 painted fern: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; happy in the same moist soil.
- Coral bells: its burgundy leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
Questions about dwarf Chinese astilbe
Does dwarf Chinese astilbe need sun or shade?
Dwarf Chinese astilbe grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), 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 a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does dwarf Chinese astilbe 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 dwarf Chinese astilbe flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late July to late August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Early August to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late July to late August |
| Zone 6 | Late July to late August |
| Zone 7 | Mid July to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Mid July to mid August |
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 dwarf Chinese astilbe be planted?
12 in (30 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 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf Chinese astilbe plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
What flowers after dwarf Chinese astilbe?
Dwarf Chinese astilbe is over by late August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall.
- October daphne: from mid September to late October, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Meadow saffron: from mid September to mid October, 6 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does dwarf Chinese astilbe look like in winter?
Dwarf Chinese astilbe 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 'Chocolate Shogun' Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun'
- 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'
- Tall astilbe 'Superba' Astilbe chinensis var. taquetii 'Superba'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late July to late August; feathery plumes; pink
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, 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.