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Astilba Color Flash is a medium sized shrub that is very popular in landscaping. The secret of its success lies in the unique feature of the plant to change its color several times per season. A variety of astilba varieties Color Flash Lime can do this three times: foliage before budding, after it and after flowering looks completely different. Caring for a crop is simple, even a novice gardener can handle it.
Description of Astilba Color Flash
Astilba Color Flash is a perennial shrub up to 60 cm in height and about 40 cm in diameter. Round stems, up to 8 mm thick, are strong and do not need props. The spreading of the culture is moderate, but the bush grows well in width.
The leaves are five-lobed, 8 by 10 cm in size, with small notches along the perimeter. They have a glossy finish and pubescence.
Classic Chinese Astilba Color Flash has a purple-green leaf color
The color of the culture 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 hue is observed - it becomes bright golden or reddish brown. Slightly drooping inflorescence consists of small pink or white flowers, collected in a panicle.
The frost resistance zone is 5a, that is, the plant can tolerate temperatures up to - 29 ° C without shelter. In the European part of Russia, astilbe is grown up to the Urals.
Description of Astilba Color Flash Lime
Astilba Color Flash Lime is a varietal modification of the Chinese Color Flash astilba. 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 planting and propagation methods. The only difference is the color scheme of the bush.
At the beginning of the growing season, the foliage has a yellow-salad 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 color. 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 creamy color. However, their edges remain green.
Flowering features
Astilba Color Flash Lime blooms for a long time, occurs from late June to early September.
Small flowers of a lilac or purple hue are collected in panicle inflorescences
Their sizes are up to 12 cm wide and up to 15 cm high. Panicle inflorescences are predominantly erect, but sometimes arched are also found.
Since the leaves are the main decorative element of the culture, gardeners do not consider it necessary to increase the flowering intensity or its duration.
Application in design
Astilba hybrid 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, badans, Siberian irises and other similar crops.
In astilba flower beds, Color Flash Lime can be used both as a central plant and as a frame for higher ones.She normally experiences the neighborhood with almost all flowers, both annual and perennial.
Reproduction methods
Three methods of breeding astilba Color Flash Lime are used:
- seed;
- dividing the bush;
- kidney renewal.
Unlike many perennial crops, seed cultivation of this plant is fairly widespread. Planting material for this purpose is purchased in the store. Before planting, the seeds must undergo stratification for 20 days in the refrigerator, starting in January.
Then they are sown in small containers for seedlings with a substrate consisting of equal proportions of peat and sand, covered with foil and placed in the refrigerator again. There they hatch within a month.
After the seeds "hatch", boxes with seedlings are transferred to the windowsills
For several months they are looked after as for ordinary seedlings - they are watered daily and provided with 12-hour lighting. Landing in open ground is carried out in May.
The division of the bush is done at 4-5 years of plant life. To do this, it is dug up and divided into 6-8 parts according to the number of large root processes. Then they are planted in a new place.
Usually the division of the bush is carried out in the autumn, after the end of flowering.
The last method of reproduction is actually a kind of dividing the bush, but the bush is not dug out, but a part of the root with a stem bud is separated from it.
Landing algorithm
The best site for planting a crop is fertile soil of neutral or weak acidity. Astilba Color Flash Lime prefers shaded areas, but it can be planted in partial shade with a light 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, a small amount of wood ash, compost or humus is added to the hole and 5 liters of water are poured. Then they put a seedling in the hole, cover it with soil, then water it.
Usually astilba Color Flash Lime is planted in two ways:
- continuous landing - staggered at a distance of 0.3-0.5 m from each other;
- in a row - as a rule, use one bed, or a row of holes with a distance of 30-35 cm between them.
In flower beds and mixborders, plants of the same growth as Color Flash Lime astilba can be planted close to it. Stunted - at a distance of at least 50-60 cm.
Follow-up care
Watering should be regular; in no case should the top layer be allowed to dry out. In hot weather, the plants are moistened twice - in the morning and in the evening. Mulching of the soil with straw or large coniferous sawdust is allowed.
Astilba 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, top dressing is done before flowering. For this, potassium nitrate is used in a concentration of 2 tbsp. l. 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 brought in at the same time as pruning the stems.
Astilbe Color Flash Lime does not need any specific care procedures.
Preparing for winter
In zones corresponding to the declared frost resistance (5a), the plant does not need specialized shelters and preparation for winter. You can cut off the stems before wintering so as not to remove them in the spring, as they will die anyway.
If the temperature in winter reaches -35 ° C, it is recommended, after pruning, to cover the bushes with a 10-15 cm layer of sawdust, cover them on top with plastic wrap, which is sprinkled with a layer of earth 30-40 cm high.
Diseases and pests
Diseases and pests do not attack Color Flash Lime astilba too often. Despite the 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 culture.
The most serious pest of astilba is a small slobbering penny bug. Its size rarely exceeds 5 mm, it has a yellow or brown color.
Pennits leave their eggs on astilba shoots, covering them with a sticky, frothy liquid.
Beetle larvae are able to eat off shoots, significantly inhibiting the growth of culture. The use of insecticides is ineffective because the foam protects the bugs well from almost any chemical. The only effective way to deal with pennitsa is to collect beetles and larvae by hand with their subsequent destruction.
Another dangerous pest is the rootworm nematode. It is a small worm, about 2 mm long, parasitizing on the root system of the Color Flash Lime astilbe.
Gall nematode activity results in small thickenings on the roots.
After being hit by a worm, the roots begin to die and dry out, astilbe slows down growth, its stems and leaves shrivel and fall. When such symptoms appear for no apparent reason, it is worth immediately examining the root system of the plant for the search for thickenings.
With a weak lesion of the bush, you can try to process it with Fitoverm. But if the nematode has affected the entire root system, the plant will have to be disposed of. In addition, it is advisable to disinfect the area where it grew.
Other pests, such as molluscs, common garden slugs, can also pose a danger to astilba Color Flash Lime. Moreover, they, like the plant in question, love high humidity.
Slugs are capable of destroying the entire foliage of astilba Color Flash Lime in a matter of days.
Often, the fight against these pests (especially in plants located near water bodies) becomes the most important stage in crop care. The most effective ways to kill shellfish are using beer traps and hand-picking pests.
Conclusion
Astilba Color Flash is one of the best plants for mid-range design. A feature of the culture is the variability of foliage color depending on the season. In fact, the plant changes color three times per season. Glossy leaves, which reflect sunlight well, give Color Flash Lime astilbe even more decorativeness.
