Diarmuid Gavin: Why Astrantia is a silent garden star

I’d include in this group hardy geraniums, alchemillas, achilleas and nepeta. They produce lots of flowers, healthy foliage and fill in the gaps without ever losing the run of themselves and becoming a nuisance. Once established, they don’t seek lots of love and attention.

There’s another plant currently flowering that also belongs to this worthy group. Also known as Masterwort or Hattie’s Pincushion, Astrantia will flower its socks off from early to late summer and has handsome palmate green leaves that seem to hold little attraction for slugs and snails — always a bonus.

Like any plant, the key to a successful life is to grow it where it will thrive. A healthy plant can shrug off many problems, whereas a plant under stress will succumb sooner.

For astrantias, their happy place is in dappled shade, where the soil is rich and moist with good drainage. It can manage other conditions and types of soil but it will suffer if it dries out and, when first planted, it’s important to keep it watered before its roots find their own source of hydration. I grow them under my birch trees, mingling with hardy geraniums, foxgloves and spring bulbs. If there is prolonged hot or dry weather, I water them regularly to prevent them wilting.

So what’s so gorgeous about Astrantia? The stems reach about knee-height and produce pincushion-like flowers. These tiny flowers are surrounded by papery bracts which give a star-like appearance. Observe them at close quarters and admire their delicate beauty. The blossom colours are often very subtle; for example, cream with hints of pale green. That said, there’s a great range of colours available, from strawberry pink, through red and deep burgundy.

Their relaxed nature and appearance lends them to many planting schemes, from cottage style to intermingling with grasses for a wilder feel. I recently saw a group of white astrantias providing a soft, textural contrast within a shady green planting scheme, the white flowers complementing and lifting the otherwise monotone green scheme.

Add them between your roses, where they will harmonise beautifully and attract bees and butterflies to their nectar-rich blossoms. They work in low-maintenance gardens due to their easycare nature and also work well in pared-back contemporary schemes.

‘Shaggy’ is one of the best-known varieties — it has greenish-white flowers with slightly shaggy-looking bracts. Other good varieties to look out for include ‘Claret’, which is a deep red wine variety; ‘Buckland’, a delicate pink sometimes tipped with green; and ‘Moulin Rouge’, which is a relatively new variety with very dark flowers. For pure white, try ‘Snow Star’ and pair with any of the darker varieties for a pleasing picture.

You can grow from seed either in spring or collect seed from garden plants towards the end of the summer. They make good cut flowers and can be dried or left on the plant as an interesting autumn silhouette.

Plant of the week

Erigeron karvinskianus You can’t fail to notice this cheerful daisy-like plant at the moment — often growing out of walls and between crevices of paving or steps. Also known as Mexican fleabane, it has a great capacity to flourish on the most meagre of rations, enjoying poor stony soil. It’s a versatile perennial and useful for planting in rockeries as well as spilling out of containers and hanging baskets. The small white daisy flowers mature to pink and will flourish in the sun and partial shade. The plant is good for coastal locations. It’s long flowering season provides plenty of nectar for local pollinators.

Reader Q&A

Why are ants invading my peonies? Will they harm the plant? Mel

The ants aren’t actually harming your peony — they are just nosing around for the nectar. In general, ants are considered beneficial insects in the garden and good soil aerators so are best tolerated. Ants don’t like the smell of mint so you could place some pots of mint near your peonies and see if that puts them off.

Submit your gardening questions to Diarmuid via his Instagram @diarmuidgavin using the hashtag #weekendgarden