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Astilbe in the sun
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Posted by
anicee 5a (
My Page) on
Fri, Jun 8, 12 at 21:05
| I bought 4 beautiful Astilbes to put on the side of my barn where I thought it would be shady but realized today there's a lot of sun there, most of the day. The base of the plants are somewhat in the shade and the soil is moist and rich there and I was wondering if I can have success with my Astilbes there or should I just right away change location or give it a try.
Thanks,
Anicee |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| I would change location , especially if in windy spot. |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| I grow all my astilbe in sun - at least until around 2 pm and as long as they have moisture, they do very well. In fact, it always puzzles me why these are considered shade plants by so many. Maybe in warmer zones they need more shade, but it doesn't work for me. I've tried it. Same goes for Heuchera. Kevin |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| I would try them there, but keep a close eye on them and have a backup plan. I had to move mine. They got too much sun (especially in the afternoon/evening). Let us know what happens with yours. |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| I have been growing astibles in full sun for years, the key is moisture if you see brown edges on the leaves you need more moisture. |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| If you see brown edges it is too late. It will stay this way for the rest of the season spoiling the effect, no matter how much moisture you will provide, . Moisture as the key is not a secret, it has been known forever. The problem is that the plants may not be able to drink as quickly as they lose the moisture when they are exposed both to baking heat and wind at the same time. Other plants as Ligularias may bounce back unharmed, Astilbe will not. Soil and plants in shade(especially protected from the wind) do not dry as quickly as in sunny position, thus giving you more time to react. |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| I agree if you plant these in lots of sun, there are other factors you have to take into consideration like wind. My big revelation about growing Astilbe in MN (where I live) came after I visited a public rose garden in a smaller, central Minnesota city. In addition to the mass plantings of roses they had mass plantings of Astilbe in every color imaginable planted in the same location. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw these lush, 3 foot plants simply covered in flowers. At first I thought they may have been an Astilbe look-a-like, but they weren't. They were the real thing. Kevin |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| leave two.. move two ... experiment ... ken |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| I just reread your post and noticed you said these are planted next to a barn. That might be a problem if the site is very sunny. Any hard surface like a wall is going to absorb heat and radiate it back to the plants which might prove to be too hot for them. I guess it kind of depends on how close they are to the structure. None of my Astilbe growing in sun are next to anything. In other words there's lots of air circulation, so there isn't a heat build-up problem like there might be in your situation. They might be OK now, but when the real hot weather arrives they could fry crispy. If hot weather doesn't arrive until late in the season, it probably won't kill them and they'll come back next year, but they're going to look very sad this year. Kevin |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| Thank you all for your suggestions. Will let you know how they do. Just moved here late last Summer so it's my first year gardening. Anicee |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| Are they arendsii hybrids or Chinese? The Chinese ones can tolerate more sun and less moisture than the arendsii ones. |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| I once read a tip about planting them in a large plastic-lined hole with drainage holes. Never tried it, but something to consider. You could also try adding some of those polymer water absorbing crystals to the soil for extra insurance. I have a nearly full sun spot (12-5) that has very rich, poorly draining soil. My astilbes love it there!!! They are putting out buds now. I can't wait. They make the show. |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| I have astilbe in full sun, and it's not even particularly moist. I think some things just need to be tried as every zone, climate, & even microclimate is different. I'm always amazed at how well some "sun" plants do in my dappled shade too. It's what you had wanted for this spot, you said it is moist, you are in a cooler zone, and sometimes you just have to take a chance. Not that I think it's a huge risk- I doubt you will kill them if you are watching them. |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| I have a lot of astilbes because I have a lot of shade. I have tried many times to grow them in a site with afternoon sun with no luck at all. The soil is deep and rich and moist. But they hate that afternoon sun no matter how moist the soil. And forget full sun, again with moist soil. |
RE: Astilbe in the sun
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| cheleinri wrote: I think some things just need to be tried as every zone, climate, & even microclimate is different. I'm always amazed at how well some "sun" plants do in my dappled shade too. I so agree. I have very successful plants designated as requiring "full sun" that probably only see 4 hours of the stuff. It can be such fun to experiment with a plant i.e. putting it in a location that might be less than what the tag states i.e. light aspect and or hardinesss zone. |
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