(image from google images)

Common name: Chinese astilbe

Size, form, texture: small upright fuzzy flowers with ferny foliage, height: 1-1.5 ft, spread: 1-1.5 ft, various forms, dwarf version (pumula) is an effective ground cover. Clump forming perennial.

Hardiness, origin, native ecology: zone 4-8, prefers moist ground in semi shade, forms a solid matt of foliage, grows rhizomatously, herbaceous perennial, good in rain gardens. Grows well in average soils that area well drained in full to part sun.

Bud, foliage, flower and fruit characteristics: small fuzzy flowers with whitish stamens that extend past the corolla which can be white or a pink/lavender colour. Stems and leaves are coarse and hairy at first but eventually become smooth.

Cultural and maintenance requirements and appropriate uses in the landscape:  Massing or grouping in shade gardens, good in planters, recognizable in the landscape, can be nice at waters edge. Maintenance involves removing old spent blooms, and can thin out if foliage gets to thick.