Astrantia

The Astrantia plant, also called asterisk, is a representative of the Umbrella family. Such flowers grow in European territory, as well as in the Caucasus mountains. The name of the genus is supposed to consist of the words "star" and "opposite", referring to the shape of the flowers and leaves of the Astrantia bracts. This genus includes about 10 different species.

Astrantia are widespread in England and the USA. In their culture, the flower has been used since the 16th century and today has many decorative varieties. Astrantia is unpretentious and tolerates both dry periods and frosty winters.

Description of astrania

Representatives of the genus Astrantia are herbaceous perennials growing from rhizomes. They have erect shoots with little foliage. The stems of the bushes practically do not branch. The flower grows about 15-90 cm in length.

The leaves have a finger-like structure or several (3-7) lobes with a serrated edge. The leaf blades are collected in a rosette at the base of the plant. Astrantia inflorescences are umbrellas, consisting of many small flowers. Most often they are white or red-pink in color. Thanks to the bright bracts-wrappers, the inflorescences look even more elegant. It is due to their leaves that the umbrellas of the Astrantia resemble stars. Their size can be equal to the size of the inflorescence itself or exceed it.

Blooming astrantia is very long - it lasts from late spring to mid-autumn. During this period, the bushes attract bees and pollinating insects, although their flowers do not have a pronounced aroma.

Brief rules for growing astrania

The table shows the brief rules for growing Astrantia in the open field.

Growing Astrantia from seeds

Sowing rules

Although Astrantia is successful in self-seeding, these seedlings do not retain the full set of parental traits. To preserve a certain variety, other propagation methods should be used.

Fresh seeds of Astrantia need stratification, so it is recommended to sow them in late autumn. The sprouts that have appeared in the spring will only have to thin out. But in this case, the risk of freezing of seedlings increases due to spring cold snaps. To avoid this, you can try to grow flowers in a seedling way in the spring. Such seeds are sown after preliminary (2-3 months) storage in the refrigerator.

For sowing, you will need a light and nutritious soil, the seeds are distributed superficially and only lightly sprinkled with earth. After that, the container with the crops is covered with foil or glass and placed in a warm place (about 20-23 degrees). With the emergence of seedlings, the film is removed.

In spring, Astrantia can be sown directly to the garden bed - when the earth has time to warm up well. With this sowing, the seeds will also have to be stratified in advance, although in some cases producers offer already stratified seed that does not need additional processing.

Growing seedlings

When the sprouts appear, the containers with them must be transferred to the light. After a couple of weeks after germination, they should be thinned out. The rest of the care will consist in periodic watering as the top layer of the earth dries out, as well as in carefully loosening the soil in the container. The room with the seedlings should be ventilated, but the cold air should not get on the seedlings.

Seedling picking

When Astrantia form a pair of true leaves, they are dived into individual containers using the soil of the same composition. Approximately 10 days before transplanting, the seedlings begin to harden, transferring them to the air every day and increasing their time outside. When the seedlings finally adapt to the changed conditions, they can be moved into the ground.

Landing Astrantia in open ground

The best time to plant

Landing of Astrantia in open ground is carried out when warm weather finally settles on the street - at the very end of spring. Flowers are planted in a light or semi-shady place under the sparse crown of bushes or trees. The degree of illumination can affect the color of umbrellas and bracts. Usually in shady corners, it becomes paler, but still retains its attractiveness. Moreover, some varieties of astrantia need precisely a shady location.

The land for planting should be loose and fertile, and its composition does not play a special role. The main thing is to avoid too waterlogged areas. To improve the appearance of plantings in clay soil, you can add several buckets of humus and a bucket of sand for loosening. In too light soil, where there is already enough sand, only humus is introduced.

Due to the compact size of the roots, astrantia can be grown not only in flower beds, but also use their bushes to decorate rock gardens and rockeries. The shade tolerance of certain varieties makes it possible to turn astrantia into a part of the compositions of trees and shrubs. Flowers are no less well able to develop near water bodies. The coolness of these places contributes to the growth of their split foliage.

Landing features

When planting seedlings on a flowerbed, a distance of about 35 cm is maintained between them. During transplanting, it is important to maintain the same level of burial. The soil next to the bushes is lightly tamped, and then abundant watering is carried out. Astrantia seedlings should bloom for about 3-4 years of cultivation. For a couple of years, the plantings grow, closing in and forming a continuous flower meadow.

Astrania care

Watering

Astrantia are considered one of the most unpretentious ornamental plants. The bushes are drought-resistant, so they will have to be watered only during a particularly prolonged drought.But even in this case, watering can be relatively rare: in order to achieve flowering of Astrantia, you should moisten the soil in the flower garden at least once a week. In order for the flowering wave to take place in two stages, the plantings should be watered a little more often - the soil near the bushes should constantly remain slightly moist (but not soggy).

The soil

After each watering, the soil next to the flowers should be loosened, and all weeds should be pulled out. Loosening should be done especially carefully so as not to damage the fragile roots of the planting. In order for such procedures to be carried out less often, the flower bed should be mulched with a layer of humus or peat.

Top dressing

Frequent feeding of Astrantia is also not needed. If the bushes were planted in sufficiently fertile soil, they are fed only once a season - in early spring, using a complex mineral composition. If the bushes have been growing on depleted soil for more than three years, a second top dressing is carried out around July, adding potassium and phosphorus to the beds. It is recommended to use liquid formulations, and when adding dry ones, water the bushes immediately. The foliar application method is also suitable, as well as the use of long-acting phosphorus fertilizers - they are laid in the soil even when the plants are planted.

Pruning

Timely cleaning of bushes from wilting inflorescences will help prolong the flowering wave and prevent unwanted self-seeding. If you cut off all the wilted heads after the first flowering, you can stimulate the development of buds, and thereby make the bushes more luxuriant and neat.

In rainy or windy weather, the bushes of tall Astrantia can lie down from strong gusts or heavy rainfall. To avoid this, you can tie them to a support.

Transfer

Astrantia can grow in one place for a long time. The deadline for growing on one bed is 10 years, although flower growers recommend replanting plants after 5-7 years. This will preserve their decorative appearance.

Astrantia after flowering

How to collect seeds

To collect quality seeds in blooming Astrantia, you should notice the largest and most beautiful umbrellas of the inflorescences. When they begin to dry, thin bags made of gauze are put on them. This will allow the seeds to be collected without letting them fall to the ground. When they are completely dry, the head is cut off, laid out on paper and sent to dry in a ventilated room. After drying, the seeds are removed, sorted out, and then folded into a paper bag. It should be stored in a dry and dark place.

Preparing for winter

In order for Astrantia to better endure the coming winter, in autumn its shoots are cut almost to the ground. After that, the flower bed is mulched with a layer of humus or peat. The youngest bushes can be additionally covered with spruce branches, the rest of the plants usually do not need such protection. In the spring, they try to remove the shelter early, as soon as the weather is sufficiently warm. Otherwise, the bushes may begin to weed out.

Reproduction of Astrantia

Like most perennial species, Astrantia are capable of reproducing both by seed and by fission. Due to the fact that seedlings may not transmit the characteristics of the desired variety, in order to preserve the necessary plants, the lateral shoots should be separated from them or the rhizomes themselves should be divided. The procedure is carried out in the spring - before the formation of foliage, or in the fall - when the bushes stop growing.

Although the Astranians are not very fond of transplants, they are still carried out periodically. Due to the separation of the lateral processes, the overgrown mother plant is rejuvenated, and its flowering becomes more luxuriant in the next season. To obtain pieces of rhizome, the bush is pulled out of the ground and its roots are divided into parts. The resulting divisions are distributed in separate holes, maintaining a distance of about 45 cm. A little humus should be added to each planting hole. In about a month, the divisions will take root and begin to develop. In the case of autumn planting, shoots may appear next spring.A year later, these bushes will reach the size of adult plants. Such methods allow you to get flowering plants after about 3 years.

Sometimes the rhizomes of flowers, like their seeds, can also be found on sale. In the case of winter acquisition, they can be planted in seedling pots, watered, put in a warm place and grown up before the landing date. It is recommended to add vermiculite to the soil for the cuttings. Even small pieces of root can gradually form a strong and healthy shrub. Plants should be watered as needed, when the soil in the container is almost completely dry. Such astrances are transferred to the street by the end of spring, along with other seedlings. Root cuttings purchased in the warm season can be immediately placed in the garden.

Pests and diseases

Astrantia have excellent resistance to diseases and pests; only inadequate care can weaken the bushes. For example, excessive watering and too dense arrangement of bushes lead to the appearance of fungal infections. Treatment with fungicides will help from them. To avoid such diseases, you should follow the schedule of watering and loosening, this is especially important if Astrantia is grown on heavy acidic soil.

One of the possible color pests is slugs. They devour the foliage of Astrania, which makes the bushes less attractive. Slugs are collected from plantings by hand or traps are used by placing them next to the beds. A special drug aimed at combating gastropods will also help.

Types and varieties of astrantia with photos and names

Of all the existing types of astrantia in gardens, the following can usually be found:

Astrantia major, or large astrantia

The species lives in Eastern European countries, as well as in the Baltic States. Astrantia major grows in meadows and forests. There, these flowers can grow significantly, forming bright carpets, but today they are more often seen in gardens than in their natural environment. In height, such astrania reach 70 cm, and their diameter is about 40 cm. The rosette is made up of green leaf blades of 3-7 lobes, each of which is located on a long petiole. The flowers are light pink in color. They form umbrellas up to 5 cm in size. The bracts are pinkish or pale green in color. The flowering period begins in the summer and lasts just over a month. In gardening, this type has been used since the end of the 16th century. Common varieties include:

• Moulin rouge - deep red umbrellas are combined with a very dark wrapper. Inflorescences of bushes planted on the sunny side look most beautiful.
• Ruby Wedding - bushes up to 65 cm high have dark red flowers. This variety, on the other hand, prefers a shady location.
• Claret - the wrappers of this variety are slightly transparent. Like umbrellas, they have a burgundy color. The size of the bushes reaches 55 cm. Their flowering begins in July and lasts almost until October. A semi-shady or shady corner is suitable for planting. In addition to the usual planting in beds, this variety is also suitable for container growing.
• Diva - differs in rich red flowers, complemented by lighter bracts. Bushes grow up to 70 cm in height. Both sunny and shady places are suitable for growing them.
• Venice - forms spectacular ruby ​​umbrellas.
• Lars - bushes up to 75 cm tall are decorated with pink umbrellas, as if producing the effect of radiance.
• Sunningdale Variegata - in this variety, the inflorescences have a light lavender color.
• Rosensimphony - the bushes reach 70 cm, the inflorescences are pink in color, the color of the wrappers is similar, but paler.
• Rosea - bushes up to 60 cm in size are distinguished by bright pink flowers and foliage with a spotted pattern.
• Snowstar - snow-white inflorescences are combined with a greenish wrapper. The height of the bushes is 55-70 cm. Such plantings are preferred by shady or semi-shady places in the garden.
• Abbey road - purple colored umbrellas are decorated with a darker wrapper.

Astrantia maxima

Caucasian species, distinguished by spectacular flowers and lush, elegant foliage. Astrantia maxima forms shrubs measuring 40 to 70 cm in height. They have long rhizomes and tripartite foliage. Flowering occurs in late summer or early autumn. Umbellate inflorescences reach 4.5 cm in diameter, they are made up of small flowers of shades of pink. The color of the wrapper is light red, each leaf of it reaches a centimeter in length.

Astrantia minor

Western European species, most often found in mountainous areas. Astrantia minor forms 1 meter bushes, their leaves with long petioles can have 3-7 lobes. Inflorescences about 3 cm in size are composed of white-pink flowers. Blossoming can be admired from the middle of summer. The species has been used in gardens since the middle of the 19th century.

Astrantia carniolica

The species has a palmate-separated green foliage. Astrantia carniolica inflorescences are most often white in color. The most famous variety of this species, Rubra, has rich reddish-pink umbrellas. Its bushes are about 70 cm tall. Flowers appear from late May to August.

All varieties of astrantia can be grouped according to the size of the bushes. The smallest of them reach only 30 cm, medium-sized ones vary from 30 to 60 cm, and the tall ones can grow up to a meter.

Other types of astrantia can also be found in the gardens: Bavarian, Bieberstein, hellebore, and also three-cut - a rather rare species. Outwardly, it resembles a small Astrantia and has leaves that include three lobes. The size of the plant is slightly more compact - about 60 cm. Pink-colored inflorescences appear in the first half of summer.

Astrantia in landscape design

These plants are widely used to decorate the site, planting them in flower beds and mixborders. Astrantia go well with other flowering perennials, which are also undemanding to care for and can produce a landscape effect of a semi-wild plant. Shrubs can also look good with foliage and cereals. Suitable for astrania and for curb planting, and can also be used for cutting. Star inflorescences stand in the water for a long time, retaining an attractive appearance, in addition, they can also be used to form dry bouquets. Dried umbrellas retain their shape and color, while not only inflorescences, but also fruits can be included in such compositions.