Astilbe ‘ColorFlash’ certainly delivered on the flash this year. As summer began to wane, the bi-colored leaves of my new plant became more and more colorful as promised.
‘ColorFlash’ bloomed for me in August—much later than any of my other astilbes. The flowers are a pretty, pale pink but can’t really compete with plant’s gorgeous leaves.
Despite my attempts at regular watering during the dry spell in August and September, the leaves of many of my astilbe plants turned brown and crunchy. Some of the plants were in such bad shape before our first freeze that I fear they may not survive winter. ‘ColorFlash’, on the other hand, survived the dry conditions handily. In fact, the plant looked as robust and full in October as the day I introduced it to my garden in May.
The number of perennials that deliver on every promise is very small, but I’m not afraid to put ‘ColorFlash’ at the top of that list.