Astilbe arendsii Moccachino

Astilbe x arendsii Moccachino is a variety of astilbe that captivates with its particularly graceful cream-white flowering, contrasting with dark green foliage animated with bronze and chocolate highlights. Like all astilbes, the plant develops beautifully cut, elegant foliage. This shade-loving perennial, happy in moist soils, is particularly suitable for ornamental use along riverbanks and in heavy soils that never dry out. 

Astilbe Moccachino is a recent horticultural creation. It is a herbaceous perennial plant of the Saxifragaceae family. A very hardy variety of good stature: it reaches about 70-80 cm (28-32in) in height when flowering, with a spread of 50-60 cm (20-24in), it is best placed in large flowerbeds, surrounded by shade-loving companions such as ferns and Hostas. This rhizomatous plant is deciduous, its vegetation emerges in spring and dries up in autumn. The Moccachino astilbe forms an upright clump, consisting of a group of stems covered with compound, finely cut, toothed leaves. The base colour of the leaves is a very dark green, which can be tinted with bronze, brown, or even burgundy shades depending on the exposure and season. Flowering takes place in July-August, in the form of plume-like and delicate inflorescences, curved and composed of a multitude of small flowers ranging from very pale green-yellow to almost pure white when fully open.

Planted in rows, astilbes can highlight shaded paths or the edges of ponds in which they are reflected. When planted individually, these perennials create a contrast with their green neighbours, such as Hostas, ferns, and Polygonatums. At the end of the season, leave the flowers to dry in place to maintain a tall background, or remove a few spikes for large dry bouquets. The flowers are very beautiful in floral compositions and dry bouquets. In woodland settings, associate astilbes with other moist-soil perennials.