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Featured Plant |
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Astrantia or Masterwort If we could choose only a handful of plants for our garden, Astrantia would be at the top of our list. There's something about her that's both elegant and cottage-like allowing easy transition into many different garden settings. Palmately shaped foliage is coarse and deeply divided with ragged, serrated edges lending an interesting texture to the semi-shade garden. Flowers sit well above the basil foliage and are sometimes described as pincushion-like, but rest assured, she's so much more than that. Tiny clusters of nectar rich flowers are backed by light green and sit within a nest of pointed bracts that echo the color of the flowers they surround. Astrantia boasts an exceptionally long flowering period and can be found in shades of white, green, various shades of burgundy and purple. She prefers a semi-shade location with consistently moist soils, but we've found she does quite well in some of the drier sites on our property. Varieties range from 24" to 30" tall and wide and are hardy from zone 4-7. Check each variety for hardiness). Makes an excellent, long lasting cut flower and dries very well. Pair it up with Astilbes, Ferns and Epimediums for a sensation shade garden. |
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