Touch of Pink

Astilbe

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Hennie Graafland'

Summary: 'Touch of Pink' produces a smaller plant than 'Hennie Graafland'. The flower length and peduncle length in 'Touch of Pink' is shorter than in 'Hennie Graafland'. The flower colour of 'Touch of Pink' is slightly lighter pink than 'Hennie Graafland'.

Description:

'Touch of Pink' is a vegetatively propagated perennial that has an upright bushy growth habit with sparse branching. The leaves are alternate in arrangement and biternate. The leaflets are elliptic to ovate in shape with an acute to acuminate shaped apex and attenuate shaped base. The leaflet margins are serrate and there is no pubescence on the upper side of the leaf blade and very sparse to sparse pubescence on the lower side. The leaves have very weak to weak glaucosity and are dark green in colour on the upper side and medium green in colour on the lower side. There is no leaf variegation. The petiole has weak anthocyanin colouration.

'Touch of Pink' flowers mid-season and has a short length of flowering. The peduncle has weak anthocyanin colouration and very sparse to sparse pubescence. The inflorescence type is a panicle which is terminal in position and erect in attitude. The flowers are light bluish-pink in colour.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Touch of Pink' originated from a controlled cross between 'Hennie Graafland' as the pollen parent and 'Europa' as the seed parent. The initial cross was made in Noorden, The Netherlands in 1992. The objective of the breeding program was to develop an improved flower colour, attractive foliage, and compact plant growth habit.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials for 'Touch of Pink' were conducted at Oxford Station, Ontario in the summer of 2001. The trials consisted of ten plants per variety grown under field conditions. Plants were spaced 0.40 metres within the row and rows were spaced 1.0 metre apart.

Comparison tables for 'Touch of Pink' with reference variety 'Hennie Graafland'

Plant height (cm)

Inflorescence length (cm)

Peduncle length (cm)

Colour of inflorescence (RHS)