The man responsible for the popularization of the plant was George Arends, a nurseryman from Ronsdorf, Germany. Arends Nursery, today being run by his granddaughter, has produced most of the hybrid astilbes in the marketplace today. Arends used four species in most of his crosses, Astilbe japonica , A. thunbergii, A. astilboides , and A. chinensis . Almost every hybrid astilbe can be traced directly or indirectly back to Arends. In the early years of this century, most people knew astilbes as a winter blooming pot plant, not as the stately garden perennial we know today.
Astilbes are useful additions to the summer border or for massing in the shaded garden.
They should have a fertile, well watered soil rich in organic matter. While they will grow in full sun in the north, in most of the southern United States, they benefit from shade from mid afternoon onward. Regardless of where astilbes are grown, they have a high water demand. Plants that are stressed for water will have burned summer foliage and disappear in a season or two. Plants receiving adequate summer moisture and situated in a fertile soil will form large clumps and should be divided every three or four years.