Content
Astilbe Color Flash is a medium-sized shrub, very popular in landscape design. The secret of its success lies in the unique feature of the plant to change its color several times per season. The Color Flash Lime variety of astilbe can do this three times: the foliage before budding, after it and at the end of flowering looks completely different. Caring for the crop is simple; even a novice gardener can handle it.
Description of astilbe Color Flash
Astilbe Color Flash is a perennial bush up to 60 cm high and about 40 cm in diameter. The round stems, up to 8 mm thick, are strong and do not require supports. The spreading nature of the crop is moderate, but the bush grows well in width.
The leaves are five-lobed, measuring 8 by 10 cm, with small serrations along the perimeter. They have a glossy coating and pubescence.
Classic Chinese astilbe Color Flash has purple-green leaves.
The color of the crop changes throughout the season. In early spring, the color of the foliage is green, changing to purple during the flowering period.At the beginning of autumn, another change in shade is observed - it becomes bright golden or reddish brown. The slightly drooping inflorescence consists of small pink or white flowers collected in a panicle.
Frost resistance zone is 5a, that is, the plant can tolerate temperatures down to -29 ° C without shelter. In the European part of Russia, astilbe is grown all the way to the Urals.
Description of astilbe Color Flash Lime
Astilbe Color Flash Lime is a varietal modification of astilbe Chinese Color Flash. The size of the plant, the shape of its leaves, the timing of flowering and ripening completely repeat the original ones. There is no difference in plant care or methods of planting and propagation. The only difference is the color scheme of the bush.
At the beginning of the growing season, the foliage has a yellow-green tint with a purple-brown border.
As the vegetative part of the bush forms, the following color change occurs: after the budding period, the leaf darkens and becomes almost lime-colored. By the beginning of flowering, the color changes completely. The panicle of this variety also has differences - it is not pink, but purple.
By the end of summer, the middle of the leaves begins to lighten, first to yellow, then to cream color. At the same time, their edges remain green.
Features of flowering
Astilbe Color Flash Lime blooms for a long time, occurring from late June to early September.
Small flowers of lilac or purple hue are collected in panicle inflorescences
Their sizes are up to 12 cm in width and up to 15 in height. The panicle inflorescences are mostly erect, but sometimes arched ones are also found.
Since the main decorative element of the crop is the leaves, gardeners do not consider it necessary to increase the intensity of flowering or its duration.
Application in design
Hybrid astilbe Color Flash Lime is used in continuous plantings or as a border plant. It is also used in monogroups, among coniferous shrubs and near ferns, bergenia, Siberian irises and other similar crops.
In flower beds, astilbe Color Flash Lime can be used both as a central plant and as a frame for higher ones. She normally survives proximity to almost all flowers, both annual and perennial.
Reproduction methods
Three methods of propagating astilbe Color Flash Lime are used:
- seed;
- dividing the bush;
- renewal buds.
Unlike many perennial crops, growing this plant by seeds is quite widespread. Planting material for this purpose is purchased in the store. Before planting, the seeds must undergo stratification for 20 days in the refrigerator; this begins in January.
Next, they are sown in small containers for seedlings with a substrate consisting of equal parts of peat and sand, covered with film and placed in the refrigerator again. There they hatch within a month.
After the seeds “hatch”, the boxes with seedlings are transferred to the windowsills
For several months they are cared for like ordinary seedlings - watered daily and provided with 12-hour lighting. Planting in open ground occurs in May.
Dividing the bush is done at the 4-5th year of the plant’s life. To do this, it is dug up and divided into 6-8 parts according to the number of large root shoots. Then they are planted in a new place.
Typically, dividing the bush is carried out in the autumn, after flowering has ended.
The last method of propagation is actually a type of dividing the bush, but in this case the bush is not dug up, but a part of the root with a stem bud is separated from it.
Landing algorithm
The best site for planting the crop is fertile soil with neutral or weak acidity. Astilbe Color Flash Lime prefers shaded areas, but it can also be planted in partial shade with illumination time of no more than 6 hours a day.
For planting, holes up to 30 cm deep are used. They are not prepared in advance. Immediately before planting, add a small amount of wood ash, compost or humus to the hole and pour in 5 liters of water. After that, they place the seedling in the hole, cover it with soil, and then water it.
Typically, astilbe Color Flash Lime is planted in two ways:
- continuous planting - in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 0.3-0.5 m from each other;
- in a row - as a rule, they use one bed, or a row of holes with a distance of 30-35 cm between them.
In flowerbeds and mixborders, plants of the same height as Color Flash Lime astilbe can be planted close to it. Low-growing - at a distance of at least 50-60 cm.
Aftercare
Watering should be regular; under no circumstances should the top layer be allowed to dry out. In hot weather, plants are moistened twice - in the morning and in the evening. It is allowed to mulch the soil with straw or large pine sawdust.
Astilbe Color Flash Lime needs 4 feedings per season:
- At the end of March, nitrogen fertilizers are applied in the form of urea or mullein.
- In early June, fertilize before flowering.To do this, use potassium nitrate in a concentration of 2 tbsp. l. for 10 liters of water. Consumption – about 500 ml per bush.
- After flowering, superphosphate should be added to the soil in an amount of 15 g per plant.
- Pre-winter feeding consists of compost or horse manure. Traditionally, it is applied simultaneously with cutting the stems.
Astilbe Color Flash Lime does not require any specific care procedures.
Preparing for winter
In zones corresponding to the declared frost resistance (5a), the plant does not need specialized shelters or preparation for winter. You can trim the stems before wintering so that you don’t have to remove them in the spring, as they will die anyway.
If the temperature in winter reaches -35 °C, it is recommended that after pruning, cover the bushes with a 10-15 cm layer of sawdust, cover them on top with plastic film, which is sprinkled with a layer of earth 30-40 cm high.
Diseases and pests
Diseases and pests do not often attack Color Flash Lime astilbe. Despite their love for moist air, fungi almost never attack the plant, but pests, especially in the absence of their main food, can happily switch to this crop.
The most serious pest of astilbe is the small pennitsa bug. Its size rarely exceeds 5 mm and is yellow or brown in color.
Pennies leave their eggs on astilbe shoots, covering them with a sticky, foamy liquid.
Beetle larvae are able to eat shoots, significantly inhibiting crop growth. The use of insecticides is ineffective, since the foam protects the bugs well from almost any chemicals.The only effective way to combat pennies is to collect beetles and larvae by hand and then destroy them.
Another dangerous pest is the root-knot nematode. This is a small worm, about 2 mm long, that parasitizes the root system of astilbe Color Flash Lime.
The result of the life activity of the root-knot nematode is small thickenings on the roots
After being damaged by a worm, the roots begin to die and dry out, astilbe slows down its growth, its stems and leaves wrinkle and fall. If such symptoms appear for no apparent reason, you should immediately examine the root system of the plant to look for thickenings.
If the bush is slightly damaged, you can try treating it with Fitoverm. But if the nematode has affected the entire root system, you will have to get rid of the plant. In addition, it is advisable to disinfect the area where it grew.
Other pests can also pose a danger to astilbe Color Flash Lime, for example, mollusks - common garden slugs. Moreover, they, like the plant in question, love high humidity.
Slugs are capable of destroying the entire foliage of astilbe Color Flash Lime in a matter of days
Often, the control of these pests (especially in plants located near bodies of water) becomes the most important stage of crop care. The most effective ways to destroy shellfish are to use beer traps and collect pests by hand.
Conclusion
Astilbe Color Flash is one of the best plants used for mid-level planting design. A feature of the culture is the variability of foliage color depending on the time of year. In fact, the plant changes shade three times during the season.Glossy leaves that reflect sunlight well give Color Flash Lime astilbe even more decorative.
