Astilbe 'Vesuvius'
22nd July 2012
From time to time I am smitten with Astilbe and suddenly they can do no wrong. It seems to have
happened again this year and coincided with a return to fashion for Ark building. The combination of moisture loving plants and rain
has been a happy coincidence.
If there is a problem with Astilbe it is a tendency to produce flowers in the sort of colours old ladies favour in cardigans.
This is less vibrant than the name might suggest but it has vigour and tenacity and sometimes that is enough.
21st July 2016
In 1929 Georg Arends raised a deep pink Astilbe hybrid which he called 'Bremen'. It became one of the preferred cultivars for forcing for the cut flower market.
In 1940 Verboom selected a deeper red flowered sport of it, with a darker tone to the foliage which he named 'Vesuvius'. Compact clumps of foliage,
the flowers stand well clear on long stems.