perennial
Chinese astilbe 'Visions'
Astilbe chinensis 'Visions'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Chinese astilbe 'Visions' is a perennial hardy in zones 4–8. It grows 1–1.5 ft tall and 1–1.5 ft wide, so plant it 1.25 ft apart. Give it part sun to shade and average water. It flowers pink in July to August. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Desert Southwest, Florida and the Gulf and Texas and the South-Central states, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Astilbe chinensis 'Visions'
- Plant type
- Perennial, herbaceous
- Hardiness zones
- 4 to 8
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Moist, rich soil; tolerates more dryness than hybrid astilbes.
- Mature size
- 1–1.5 ft tall × 1–1.5 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.25 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Jul–Aug · pink
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- classic, cottage, modern
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list (listed as non-toxic).
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $12–$20 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season; keep soil evenly moist, not soggy.
- Pruning
- Leave plumes for winter interest; cut down in early spring.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Dog-safe plants for a part-shade bed in zone 8 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 4 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 5 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 7 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 8 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a shady bed in zone 6
- Shade plants for humid summers in zone 8, Southeast (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Chinese astilbe 'Visions', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Japanese sedge 'Evergold'Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'ornamental grass · zones 5–9
- Coral bells 'Palace Purple'Heuchera micrantha var. diversifolia 'Palace Purple'perennial · zones 4–9
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola'Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'ornamental grass · zones 5–9
- Hairy alumroot 'Caramel'Heuchera villosa 'Caramel'perennial · zones 4–9
- Japanese sedge 'Ice Dance'Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'ornamental grass · zones 5–9
- FoamflowerTiarella cordifoliaperennial · zones 3–8
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Chinese astilbe 'Visions': same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.
- Astilbe 'Fanal'Astilbe × arendsii 'Fanal'zones 4–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Lenten roseHelleborus × hybriduszones 4–9 · flagged toxic to pets
- FoamflowerTiarella cordifoliazones 3–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Siberian bugloss 'Jack Frost'Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'zones 3–8 · flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants