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There are a couple of white astrantias in my own garden which are very pretty and delicate-looking. Lovely as they are, they don’t have the sultry and rather dramatic good looks of this astrantia, photographed in a garden I visited recently.
I don’t know the name of this particular astrantia cultivar. A quick look around with Google has shown me that there are now many cultivars in a range of pink, red and burgundy shades. All are stunningly beautiful, so you can imagine how tempted I am by them…nothing surprising there, hehe!
Fortunately for me, they don’t take up a huge amount of space, so I should be able to fit one or two in here. (But they do prefer a more moisture-retentive soil than we have, so a good addition of compost would be necessary first.)
Dark flowers and foliage have a strong appeal for me. They help to prevent borders from looking a bit too sweet and add a suggestion of mystery and moody allure. My only problem will be deciding which of the dark astrantias to go for!
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 