Visions in Red is a compact astilbe that sends up dense, upright plumes in a deep red-magenta over glossy, bronze-tinted ferny foliage. It blooms in summer and holds its good looks in the shade garden before and after.

Like all astilbes here, it wants shade from afternoon sun and soil that never fully dries; it's a strong pick for damp, shady beds where little else flowers. Bees and butterflies visit the plumes, while deer and rabbits leave the plant alone.