Is it getting enough moisture?

it is planted at the base of a tree with two other astilbes that are doing fine. i have read alternately that astibles love and need water and that they can tolerate dry conditions better than most.

i thought about the moisture problem though (perhaps it gets less moisture than the others b/c it is on a slope hence water runs off rather than soaks in). so i have given it extra watering these days just to see how it does. on a positive note, there are flower buds coming out.

i will let you know how the extra watering goes. i just wanted to make sure it wasn't a virus or something..

I ahve had astilbe do this. I dug it up and moved it only a foot or so and it did fine. Moisture can really vary even with in the same plot evidently!

thanks guys! i feel much more confident now about how to handle the problem. for a while there, I dared not touch it in case I inadvertantly transmit some disease to my other plants. i've started watering it more frequently. there are new leaves unfurling, and the buds look fat and happy!