Astrantia major Claret - Great Masterwort

Plant your astrantias in partial shade and moist soil, they appreciate moderate sunlight in the late afternoon, avoiding excessive heat exposure (midday sun). In humus-bearing soil, the astrantia self-seeds and easily produces new seedlings capable of flowering within a few weeks, prolonging the flowering period for several months. To plant your astrantia, work the soil in a 20 cm (8in) cube, breaking up the soil and adding a base fertiliser such as bonemeal at the bottom of the planting hole. Remove your plant from its pot and position, covering the top of the root ball with 3 cm (1in) of soil, fill in and water generously to remove any air pockets. In dry weather, it is necessary to water regularly for a few weeks to aid establishment. Keep slugs away in wet weather using wood ash, slug repellent or even beer trps! Each of these solutions is very effective.