Beautiful appearance
Plants are adept at visually disguising the fact that their true flowers are only pinhead-sized and inconspicuous. What appears to be a wreath of petals in the masterwort is actually just colored bracts, yet they still pack a punch. The long-lasting false flowers glow in dark red, pink, greenish-white, or pure white and are crisscrossed by delicate leaf veins. Their star-shaped arrangement gave the perennial its name.
Partial shade preferred
Astrantias, especially the Great Masterwort (Astrantia major), have fortunately also captured the imagination of breeders, resulting in a wide variety of valuable varieties. Their flower colors range from various shades of pink and red to plain white. They bloom from early June to July, and under optimal conditions, a second time in August/September. Therefore, regularly remove wilted blossoms and, after the first bloom, give the plants some "food" in the form of mineral fertilizer and compost that matures in autumn. And, of course, the location must be suitable. This popular wild perennial is native to floodplain, ravine, and coniferous forests in large parts of Central Europe, and here in Germany, primarily in the low mountain ranges, where they can be found in mountain meadows and moist mountain forests. In keeping with their natural habitat, masterworts thrive in partial shade on sandy to loamy, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, calcareous soils. If the soil is not too dry, they can also tolerate sun, especially in midsummer. A little tip: If you have sandy soils, add bentonite. This clay mineral improves the soil's water and nutrient retention capacity. If the fabulous Astrantias thrive, they'll seed well. They may not be true to their varieties, but that's easily forgiven.
TEXT: Martina Raabe
