Astrantia major — Greater Masterwort

Hardy perennial | Cottage garden favourite | $9.00

An exquisite perennial with delicate, star-like flowerheads in soft shades of white, green and pink, held above attractive, deeply divided foliage.

Astrantia brings an almost magical quality to informal gardens, with intricate flowers that look as though they've been made from tiny pieces of lace.

A wonderful choice for cottage gardens, woodland edges and softly layered perennial borders.

Why I Grow It

I have a particular weakness for plants with unusual flowers, and Astrantia is one of those perennials that always catches my eye.

Its flowers are incredibly intricate, yet the plant has a lovely natural, unfussy appearance when growing among other perennials.

It's also not something I regularly find in ordinary New Zealand garden centres, which makes growing it from seed especially satisfying.

I love the idea of combining Astrantia with Sanguisorba, ornamental grasses and other flowering perennials to create a garden full of movement, texture and life.

In the Kitchen

Astrantia is grown as an ornamental plant rather than a culinary herb.

Its real value is in the garden, where its intricate flowers attract visiting insects and can also be enjoyed as beautiful cut flowers.

The blooms work particularly well in informal arrangements, adding delicate texture alongside larger flowers and foliage.

In the Garden

Astrantia forms attractive clumps of green foliage, with slender flowering stems rising above the leaves during summer.

The flowers are made up of tiny florets surrounded by pointed, papery bracts, giving them their distinctive star-like appearance.

It's particularly lovely planted in groups or woven through mixed perennial borders.

Astrantia thrives in cooler garden positions with morning sunshine or dappled shade, especially where the soil retains moisture.

Mature height: Approximately 50–90 cm
Spread: Approximately 30–50 cm
Flowering: Summer, sometimes continuing with deadheading
Growth habit: Clump-forming, herbaceous perennial

Care

• Position: Partial shade or morning sun, with protection from intense afternoon heat.

• Soil: Fertile, humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-draining.

• Watering: Keep consistently moist while establishing. Water during prolonged dry periods.

• Spacing: Approximately 30–45 cm between plants.

• Feeding: Apply compost or well-rotted organic matter in spring.

• Mulching: Mulch around the base to retain moisture and keep roots cool.

• Maintenance: Remove spent flower stems to encourage further flowering.

• Winter: The foliage may die back during winter, returning with fresh growth in spring.

• Propagation: Established clumps can be divided in spring.

What You'll Receive

One young, seed-grown Astrantia major plant, ready to grow on and establish in your garden.

These are young plants, not mature flowering specimens. Photographs of established plants show the flowers they can produce once mature. As seed-grown plants, some natural variation in flower colour is possible.