Tall astilbe 'Superba'
Astilbe chinensis var. taquetii 'Superba' ·
The tallest astilbe: narrow, magenta-lilac plumes at chest height in late summer over bronze-green leaves.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Late July to late August
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around tall astilbe 'Superba'
The planner designed this bed around tall astilbe 'Superba' 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 tall astilbe 'Superba' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 3, purple
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 3, tan
- 3 Lungwort 'Raspberry Splash' × 5, pink
- 4 Blue wood aster × 3, lavender
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Siberian bugloss × 3, blue
- 7 Hardy cyclamen × 10, white
- 8 Snowdrop × 5, white
Why this plant
- The only plumes. The others are spires, dense clusters, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only purple.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 4 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to inkberry 'Gem Box' (2½ 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 July to late August.
- In company. With moor grass 'Greenlee' in late July: 2 kinds at once.
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 58 to 42, left to right. The flowers stay on the cool side of the palette: purple, pink, lavender, blue, tan and white.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 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 tall astilbe 'Superba' goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
It gives shade plantings the vertical line they usually lack, and flowers in August, when shade gardens are mostly green. The stiff plumes stand all winter.
- Height at the back of a shady bed
- Late-summer colour in shade
- Beside water
What to plant with tall astilbe 'Superba'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Sum and Substance': its chartreuse leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Ostrich fern: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
- Japanese anemone: in flower together for two weeks, from mid August; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about tall astilbe 'Superba'
Does tall astilbe 'Superba' need sun or shade?
Tall astilbe 'Superba' 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 tall astilbe 'Superba' 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 tall astilbe 'Superba' 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 tall astilbe 'Superba' be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many tall astilbe 'Superba' plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 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 tall astilbe 'Superba'?
Tall astilbe 'Superba' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- White snakeroot 'Chocolate': the same job in a bed; 8 in shorter, flowers mid September to mid October.
- Turtlehead 'Hot Lips': the same job in a bed; belongs in the middle, not at the back, 12 in shorter.
- Log fern: the same job in a bed; 4 in narrower, grown for its leaves, not its flowers.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after tall astilbe 'Superba'?
Tall astilbe 'Superba' 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, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Blue wood aster: from mid September to mid October, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Zigzag goldenrod: from mid August to late September, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does tall astilbe 'Superba' look like in winter?
Tall astilbe 'Superba' 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'
- Dwarf Chinese astilbe Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late July to late August; feathery plumes; purple
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- 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.