Daily details from the garden to bring you inspiration throughout the year
I can’t quite remember where I saw astrantia for the first time – one of those memories that remains frustratingly just beyond the point of recall. But I can remember how it made me feel – I was bowled over by the intricate architecture of the small flower heads. It was a while before I cottoned on that astrantia, or masterwort or – wonderfully – Hattie’s pincushion, is actually another relative of the carrot – each disk-like flowerhead an umbellifer of individual blooms, surrounded by a ruff of pointed bracts in lieu of petals. I learnt that I couldn’t grow it in heavy clay in the sun – it didn’t seem to mind in wet weather, but hated it when baked dry. These are plants of the woodland edge or coppice floor and moist, well drained soil is what’s needed. Once you’ve worked out how to grow them, they thrive and multiply.
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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, writer, photographer, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking this image.