Winter Interest via Astilbe Plumes at Riverside Plaza - January 2026

Last Spring, I posted some photos of the perennial garden plantings along the (then-recently) renovated Riverside Plaza that runs along the Chicago River's South Branch.  I pointed out the inclusion of some of my favorite plants (Autumn Moor Grass) and how the designer used them in mass plantings.  

This past week, on a walk to the train I noticed something else in these raised beds:  winter interest.  Here, below is a photo showing the seedheads or plumes (of what I think is some sort of Astilbe or Goat's Beard) that is planted in mass.  There's something planted in the front (Looks like some Lady's Mantle foliage on the right) and something that is still green in the back (Looks like a fern like Autumn Fern) making this a layered bed.  But...there's certainly four-season interest, isn't there?

Later on, I took another photo of another bed that was in the dark that shows the same seedheads.  These, however, were planted in a narrow bed, so they're the only plant in here:

Thanks to Google Photos,  here's an edited version to brighten things up so you can see the plants:

A couple of lessons reinforced via this public garden:

1.  Mass plant fewer things.

2.  Layering short/medium/tall (Groundcover, Astilbes, Ferns) works every time.

3.  Winter interest and/or four-season gardening is great.