Bridal Veil Astilbe

It is easy to understand the popularity of astilbe plants, once you start growing them. They pretty much take care of themselves, and if you provide water, they do the rest. Long-lived and durable, they are ‘queens of the shade’, along with their kings – Hosta. Together those plants will turn your sad dark places into a garden Camelot. Plenty of white is essential in shade, as it brightens like no other color can, and makes a backdrop for darker colors, so they too will glow. For intense white, few Astilbe can rival the Bridal Veil Astilbe, whose bushy, dense spikes of pure-white flowers are carried in abundance on 3-foot stems. Plant it with blue Hosta for a crisp, icy look, or with a red astilbe like ‘Fanal’ in front of it, for a party atmosphere – wedding party that is. A terrific plant that has stood the test of time, the Bridal Veil Astilbe should be a center-piece of your shade garden – you won’t regret it.

Growing the Bridal Veil Astilbe

Size and Appearance

The Bridal Veil Astilbe is a tough and reliable perennial plant that dies to the ground each year, and comes back stronger and better the next spring. It is long-lived and durable, thriving for many years without the dividing and attention that some other perennials need. It forms a hard woody root just below the ground, and from that many large leaves grow. They are indeed ‘large’, almost a foot long and wide, but they are divided into about 15 small leaflets, each one an oval shape with jagged edges. The overall effect is of small leaves, giving it a ferny and light, airy look, while still dense enough to put bulk and structure into your beds. The foliage rises to about 18 inches tall, and stays glossy and green throughout the season – this variety has relatively light, bright foliage, and contrasts well with varieties that have darker leaves.

Flowers come early, during the first half of July, rising on slender but strong stems to a height of 2 or 3 feet, depending on the growing conditions. Each stem has numerous side-branches, forming a dense pyramid about 12 inches long and 6 inches wide. The stems are covered in clusters of many very tiny, pure-white flowers. Flowering lasts for several weeks, then the flowers turn to soft beige-browns, looking attractive into fall and even through winter if you leave them standing. The display is prolific and brilliant, glowing like a torch in the shady parts of your garden.

Using the Bridal Veil Astilbe in Your Garden

This astilbe is perfect for planting alone in a smaller bed, or in drifts to cover larger areas. Space plants about 18 inches apart for group plantings – in a couple of years you will have a continuous river of foliage and blooms. Grow it along a path, by water or beneath deciduous trees and shrubs.

Hardiness

The Bridal Veil Astilbe grows well and reliably in zone 4, and in all warmer zones to zone 8. As it needs some winter cold to develop properly, it may not grow so well in zone 9, unless it is in the northeast, where winters are cooler, and summers damp.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Plant the Bridal Veil Astilbe in partial shade, perhaps with some morning sun, or in full shade beneath tall trees, on the north side of a wooded area or at the foot of a north-facing wall. It grows well in moderate shade, but not so well once it is dark, such as beneath large evergreens. It will grow in ordinary soil, as long as it is reasonably moist. It grows best in rich, moist to wet soils, but not planted directly in water. Both acidic and slightly alkaline soils are fine, and clays, but not dry sands or hot, dry places in general. Water new plants frequently during their first seasons – they never become drought resistant, but established plants will tolerate some summer dryness with little effect.

Maintenance and Pruning

Left alone by pests, diseases, deer and rabbits, the Bridal Veil Astilbe is very easy to care for. Cut down the stems whenever you feel they are no longer attractive, but certainly by early spring. The leaves can be cut in fall, after they yellow, or even left to drop with the colder weather, where they form a natural mulch. Seed heads have no particular value to wildlife in winter.

History and Origin of the Bridal Veil Astilbe

The Japanese astilbe, Astilbe japonica was the first of these plants to arrive in the West, in the 19th century. It wasn’t widely grown until plant breeders started crossing it with the Chinese plant Astilbe davidii. The most important breeder was Georg Arends, who had a nursery at the beginning of the 20th century in Ronsdorf, Germany. He created many hybrid plants, and these are collectively called ‘Arendsii hybrids’. In 1929 he released a white variety called ‘Brautschleier’, which means ‘a bride’s veil’. In most countries, it is today called the Bridal Veil Astilbe.

Buying the Bridal Veil Astilbe at the Tree Center

No shade garden is complete without a summer display of white astilbe – they look so amazing in the shade, and bring such beauty and light. The Bridal Veil Astilbe has a more dense and upright look compared to the similar Deutschland Astilbe, but whichever you choose you will love it. Order now, as these plants are so popular they are always in short supply.