| HI, I LOVE ASTILBIES BUT I HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING THEM TO GROW VERY MUCH. THEY ARE NEXT TO MY HOUSE ON THE NORTH SIDE. THEY GET ABOUT 1/2 DAY SUN. IS THIS ENOUGH? ALSO, WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED TO PRODUCE A BIG PLANT WITH A BIG BLOOM LIKE IT WAS WHEN I BOUGHT IT? THEY DEFINATELY ARE LACKING SOME IMPORTANT INGREDIENT. THEY SEEM TO GET SMALLER EVERY YEAR AND I DONT WANT THEM TO DIE. PLEASE HELP. THANKS, DORIAN |
| It may be that your soil is just to hard and compacted for your astilbes to thrive. I would dig the plants this spring, spread 4-5 inches of organic matter such as compost or aged manure over the bed, dig it in to a depth of 8-10 inches and then replant the astilbes. They should double in size when planted in rich soil. Best wishes with your astilbes! |
