Growing in mostly shady bog garden. The blooms are long-lasting and pretty in an old-fashioned way. I don't think they show well alone, b...Read Moreut they peek nicely through and around other shade-garden foliage. Good-sized clumps form, and they reseed around freely but not unpleasantly. Easy to pull up if not wanted. Interestingly, groundhogs seem to favor these plants. I can tell if a groundhog has been around because the astrantia are chewed down to a nub. The plants come back with no problem. Hopefully the groundhog does not.
I've grown this in the UK for over 40 years and never lost one.. We are very high up in the Pennine hills with strong winds and temperatu...Read Moreres down to minus 20c in winter and up to 98f in summer, Our soil was heavy clay but it does well in my new garden which is clay grit and manure; very free draining.
Astrantia is a really tough plant; a plant it and forget it sort of plant with a long flowering period. If you dead head it , it will continue to flower. If you cut the plant back in late July it will regrow and flower again into September and October. I still have root cuttings from my original plant from 1982.
I was told that the flowers can be dried and used as dried flowers but have always found that they close up.
It only has one drawback- the flowers do not smell nice but it attracts a lot of insects.
It grows into large clumps which need splitting.
I photographed this plant a couple of weeks ago in the Rose Garden at Woodland Park in Seattle.
I did not know what it was, but i...Read Moret was identified by the kind people on the Plant and Tree identification Forum as Astrantia.
Can't tell you much except that it obviously grows very well in Seattle and is beautiful .
I got one of these plants in our annual spring plant swap. I'd not heard of it before but the tag said "shade" so that's where I planted...Read More it - in my shade garden. It didn't do much the first year I planted it. I had no idea what the flowers would look like so basically I forgot about it.
This summer I was went out to the garden to weed and lo and behold, there were several stems of these strange and beautiful white flowers held high above this plant. They're almost exotic looking. I was really delighted with these and had to go back into my list of plants that I had put out there. I finally figured out what they were. They're wonderful!
Long blooming - I think they lasted from late June all the way through August. Wish I'd taken a picture! If you happen to plant one of these and don't get anything the first year, be patient - the flowers are worth waiting for!
Got this wonderful plant a few years ago. Planted it in a mixed container. Has become one of my favorites. The dark purple one is my f...Read Moreavorite. It has beautiful flowers and it easily start from seed. But has not become invasive. Easy to start. Has withstood the winters in Western Washington state.
Has lobed, palmate leaves forming a loose mound of foliage. Daisy-like flowers rise on stems in early to mid summer and are produced thro...Read Moreughout the summer. There are many different colors depending on the cultivar.
Usually they like continuously moist soil, woodland type conditions. A. major tolerates drier soil than other species. Will tolerate full sun as long as roots are kept moist.
Growing in mostly shady bog garden. The blooms are long-lasting and pretty in an old-fashioned way. I don't think they show well alone, b...Read More
I've grown this in the UK for over 40 years and never lost one.. We are very high up in the Pennine hills with strong winds and temperatu...Read More
Hardy Z4-7 in eastern N. America. This species does not tolerate hot humid summers in which the night temperatures often remain above 70F.
I photographed this plant a couple of weeks ago in the Rose Garden at Woodland Park in Seattle.
I did not know what it was, but i...Read More
Supposed to be zone 4 hardy too.
I got one of these plants in our annual spring plant swap. I'd not heard of it before but the tag said "shade" so that's where I planted...Read More
Got this wonderful plant a few years ago. Planted it in a mixed container. Has become one of my favorites. The dark purple one is my f...Read More
Has lobed, palmate leaves forming a loose mound of foliage. Daisy-like flowers rise on stems in early to mid summer and are produced thro...Read More