Astrantia

From lobed basal leaves, arise vertical stems topped with tiny flowers (hence a common name of Hattie's pincushion), surrounded by colourful petal-like bracts. These can be the same colour, or contrasting to the flowers. Grow in a good, retentive soil, in part shade and don't be afraid to dead-head individual flowers, or cut hard back to the ground, as flowering is finishing, around June to July. This can extend flowering into autumn, will reduce unwanted seedlings, which may not be true to the original plant. If cut back hard, a new fresh set of leaves should emerge and further flowers.

With their long flowering period, astrantias are an invaluable source of nectar and pollen in the garden. They are visited especially by hoverflies, beetles and smaller bumblebees plus a whole host of other insects, particularly when not growing in deep shade. A. major is increasingly being found established in natural habitats outside of gardens, so care should be taken to avoid its escape.