Is Astilbe deer resistant?
Astilbe x arendsii
About Astilbe
Feathery plumes over ferny foliage, and one of the few things that flowers properly in real shade. Deer take the odd bite and move on. The failure mode is always water. Astilbe has no drought tolerance at all, and a week of dry August will crisp the leaf edges brown and finish the display for the season. Once scorched it does not recover until next spring. Plant it where the soil stays damp, not merely where it is shady, because dry shade under a maple will kill it and gardeners blame the shade. Divide every three or four years. The crown pushes itself upward out of the soil as it ages, and a clump that has risen proud will dry out faster and flower less.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 6.5
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- High
- Fertility
- High
- Spacing
- 18 to 24 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- None
- Salt
- Low
- Pollinators
- Moderate
- Containers
- Rain gardens
What to plant it with
Keep apart from
Similar to Astilbe
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- African LilyAgapanthus sp.Zones 8–11, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AsparagusAsparagus officinalisZones 2–9Seldom damaged
- AsterAster sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- Baby's BreathGypsophila sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- BastardsageEriogonum wrightiiZones 5–10Seldom damaged
- Beardlip PenstemonPenstemon barbatusSeldom damaged
Where Astilbe grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Astilbe belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Astilbe
- Is Astilbe deer resistant?
- Astilbe (Astilbe x arendsii) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Astilbe grow in?
- Astilbe is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Astilbe grow in shade?
- Yes. Astilbe tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Astilbe get?
- Mature height is roughly 18–35 in. Growth rate is moderate.
- When does Astilbe bloom?
- Astilbe flowers from June–August.