Astrantia flower

Healing properties

Astrantia large is characterized by a straight, well-developed branched stem. Large juicy leaves are concentrated at the root collar of the trunk. In medicine, the root and the ground part of the culture are used.

In the summer, the ground part of the plant is cut off. The harvesting of the root part of the plant is carried out in early spring or autumn. The material is dried in the fresh air under the roof. The stems can be tied in bunches and hung in a ventilated area, and the roots can be laid out on a wire rack. After drying, the workpiece is placed in fabric bags and stored in a dry place. It is usable throughout the year. The ground part of the plant is rich in acids:

• tsavel;
• oxycarboxylic (apple);
• lemon.

Although the effectiveness of Astrantia and its positive effect on the human body have not been proven until the end, it is actively used in folk medicine.

Leaves, stems and flowers contain flavonoids (ground part).

The leaves, stems and flowers of the plant contain flavonoids

The use of the plant part as a medicinal product contributes to the regulation of metabolism in the body. This fact is explained by the presence of steroids. The roots contain vegetable glycosides (saponins). They have a beneficial effect on the body in case of colds (bronchial inflammation), promote the excretion of phlegm. However, there are side effects in the form of allergic reactions or urticaria. This medicine can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

A medicinal preparation is taken in the form of decoctions. A dry grated plant is brewed in boiling water, in a proportion of 2 teaspoons per one glass of boiling water. The herbal composition is brewed for 5 minutes, and the root - 20 minutes. Then you need to strain the broth and take three times a day, one glass at a time, warm.

Most often, Astrantia is taken in the form of decoctions.

Astrantia flower - description

Astrantia rhizomatous plant has straight, slightly branched and slightly leafy stems from 15 to 90 cm high. Leaves collected in a basal rosette are predominantly palmate-lobed or palmate-separated with 3-7 obovate or lanceolate, jagged lobes along the edge. Numerous small flowers of white or pink-ruby color are collected in simple umbrella-shaped inflorescences that resemble stars. Large leaves of the wrapper are painted in bright shades of green, which adds decorativeness to the plant.

Astrantia blooms in May and blooms until early autumn. The fruit of astrantia is two-seed.

Astrantia is a honey plant that attracts bees to the garden. It is cold-resistant and drought-resistant. Astrantia is planted in groups in the center of the lawn, in rabatkas, borders, mixborders and in flower beds. In the garden, Astrania's partners are hosts, lungwort, geraniums, astilbe and variegated heuchera. Astrantia stands perfectly in cut, preserving the beauty and freshness of inflorescences for a long time. It is even used for dry winter bouquets.

The main advantage of Astrantia, in addition to its external attractiveness, is its amazing undemandingness in both care and growing conditions, therefore planting Astrantia and caring for it is more likely not a job, but a pleasure.

Popular varieties of astrania

Astrantia has long been known to our flower growers, but, despite its many advantages, unfortunately, it is not very popular. Garden designers are not very fond of her either. But this flower deserves more attention, and Western florists and designers have long appreciated the unconditional merits of Astrantia and widely use it in landscaping. It is no coincidence that the breeders of the Old and New World are so actively engaged in the improvement of this culture.

If relatively recently there were only two original forms in the arsenal of florists - Astrantia is large and largest and literally 2-3 garden forms, now the floricultural market offers more than a dozen varieties of this culture. New interesting forms appear every year.

Astrantia, or Zvezdovka ‘Claret’. Balogh ferenc

Astrantia ‘Abbey Road’ is a variety with large reddish-purple inflorescences with dark purple wrappers. Height 45-60 cm. It blooms from mid to late summer. Prefers semi-shady places, but can grow in sunny places, provided that they are sufficiently moist. The plant is bright, juicy, expressive, a find for shady corners of the garden.

Astrantia ‘Buckland’ is a cultivar with pale pink inflorescences against a background of silvery-green wrappers. Blooms from June to September. Plant height 65-70 cm. Grows in the sun and in partial shade.

Astrantia ‘Claret’ is a variety with wine-red buds with transparent wrappers of the same color. Height is about 50-55 cm. It blooms for a very long time, from June to the end of September. Looks very nice in large groups under the trees. Prefers semi-shady and shady places. Can be grown as a container crop.

Astrantia is large, or Zvezdovka is big ‘Hadspen Blood’. plantify

Astrantia ‘Hadspen Blood’ is a powerful variety, tall (75-80 cm), blood-red inflorescences. Differs in very long flowering - from late spring to late summer. Prefers light shade.

Astrantia ‘Lars’ is a variety with dark red inflorescences with lighter wrappers. Blooms from June to late September. Prefers light shade. Height 55-70 cm.

Astrantia ‘Moulin Rouge’ is a variety with inflorescences of a unique dark wine-red tone, the wrapper is even darker, almost black. Blooms from early to late summer. It can grow both in an open sunny place and in partial shade. In the shade, the color of the flowers becomes weaker.

Astrantia ‘Moulin Rouge’. gootjes-allplant

Astrantia ‘Primadonna’ is a variety with dark red inflorescences, the wrappers are lighter. Flowering begins in June and lasts all summer. Height about 70 cm. Can grow with equal success in the sun and in partial shade.

Astrantia ‘Roma’ is a variety with silvery pink flowers and lighter wrappers. It blooms from the beginning to the end of the pet. Height about 70 cm. Prefers moderate shade.

Astrantia ‘Rosea’ is a variety with deep pink buds and wrappers of the same color. Blooms from the beginning of summer until mid - end of September... Height about 70 cm. Grows both in the sun and in partial shade.

Astrantia ‘Shaggy (Margery Fish)’ is an ivory-colored variety with a slightly noticeable green tinge. Blooms almost all summer. Height 75-80 cm.

Astrantia ‘Symphony (Rosensimfonie)’ is a variety with pink inflorescences with pale pink wrappers. Height about 75 cm. Prefers moderate shade.

Astrantia ‘Rubra’ is a variety with inflorescences of deep pink color, turning into wine-red, wrappers of the same tone. Height is about 70 cm. It blooms from late spring to late summer.

Astrantia ‘Ruby Wedding’ is a variety with dark red inflorescences. They bloom in early summer, flowering lasts until early autumn. Height 55-65 cm. Prefers moderate shade.

Astrantia ‘Lars’. baumschule-horstmann

Astrantia ‘Snowstar’ is an unusual cultivar with almost white inflorescences. The wrappers are also white with a slight greenish tinge. Height 55-70 cm. Grows best in moderate partial shade and shade.

Astrantia ‘Sunningdale Variegated’ is the first variety with variegated leaves: creamy and golden yellow strokes on a green background. Inflorescences are light lavender. Blooms from early summer. Height about 60 cm.

Use in landscape design

The flower is very popular among landscape designers. Professionals often use Astrantia in the design of garden and park areas.

Herbaceous perennial looks great in flower beds, in shaded areas. And also the flower is used to create borders.

Swimming pools and rock gardens are often decorated with such flowers.However, only undersized varieties of an ornamental plant are suitable for such a design.

An interesting solution for decorating a flower bed would be a mix of several varieties of astrantia. Thus, the flowers create the so-called zero-gravity effect. It is best to pick up perennials with different colors of inflorescences. Designers combine white, pink and burgundy flowers.

Zvezdovka is a very hardy plant. It tolerates both winter frosts and summer droughts. This is one of the many reasons the perennial has become so popular with landscape designers and gardeners. The plant can often be seen in group plantings. With its help, you can create a beautiful mixborder.

Astrantia goes well with many plants, such as lungwort and hosts. It will also look good with large roses and lilies. Such a concept of plant location will delight not only with an attractive appearance, but also with a pleasant aroma.

You can see the beauty of Astrania in the next video.

Description of the species

The genus Astrantia is represented by 11 species, one of which is called Astrantia large. The first three years the plant develops, is characterized by lush bright green leaves, but does not bloom. In the fourth year, the first inflorescences appear. The stem of the developed culture reaches one meter (maximum) in height. In the upper part, the stem of the four-year-old culture is divided into several processes. A "bouquet" of inflorescences is formed on them. A small flower is formed on each divided stem, up to 5 centimeters in diameter. The main axis of the inflorescence is shorter than the others. Pedicels with additional small inflorescences, which are located at the same level, emerge from its top. The perianth is represented by oblong petals.

The color scheme of the petals that form the bracts on the inside may vary in depending on the variety... Astrantia leaves are large, dissected, bright green. They consist of five large carved plates connected at the base of the stem. The root of a four-year-old culture is fibrous.

This plant does not begin to bloom immediately - as a rule, this occurs only in the fourth year of life.

An insignificant shoot of the root can give life to a new plant. The culture blooms from the second half of summer until autumn. Provided that the inflorescences are cut, it blooms twice a year.

Breeders have bred by crossing many frost-resistant varieties that delight gardeners with the beauty and tenderness. Let's list some.

1. Alba is a monochromatic, light green inflorescence of a perennial culture.
2. Claret - bright ruby, monochromatic flowers.
3. Gill Richardson - monochromatic dark red inflorescence.
4. Pink Joyce - in the second half of summer, the flowering period begins. The flowers are solid, bright, pale pink.

5. Penny`s Pink - the flowers are white-pink, pale, the perianth petals are penetrated with brighter veins.

6. Roma - petals of a pale pink shade at the edges with bright pink edging, the flowers of the inflorescence are deep pink.
7. Purple Joyce - bases of purple inflorescences of a green tint, perianth leaves with a purple tint.
8. Red Joyce is a short plant, up to 50 centimeters, with bright red uniform inflorescences.

9. Ruby Cloud is a tall crop, up to one meter, with contrasting shades of bright ruby ​​flowers and light red perianth petals.

10. Star of Beauty is a low-growing variety, flowers are light with red edging, petals are pale red.
11. Sparkling Stars Pink - undersized crop, flowering until August, monochromatic pale red inflorescences.
12. Star of Billion is a variety of contrasting delicate shades, the petals are light green, and the flower itself is white.
13. Venice is a species with bright red flowers and purple petals, the stem height reaches 60 centimeters.

Astrantia Venice is distinguished by its bright red flowers

Growing mimulus from seeds

Sowing

In room conditions, it is necessary to sow the seeds of the lipstick in the last days of March or the first ones - in April. Due to the fact that the seeds are very small in size, it is very difficult to evenly distribute them over the surface of the substrate. In this regard, Mimulus seedlings need a mandatory pick. The soil used for sowing should be light and loose, so a universal substrate that includes perlite and coconut fiber is ideal for this purpose, do not forget to add a small amount of clean sand to it. Seeds are simply spread over the surface of the substrate and, without embedding, are watered from a spray bottle. Then the container must be covered with glass or foil and placed in a well-lit, cool enough (from 15 to 18 degrees) place. If everything is done correctly, then you can see the first seedlings after two or three days.

Growing seedlings

After most of the seedlings appear, the plants can begin to stretch. To prevent this, it is necessary to rearrange the container to the most illuminated and cooler (from 10 to 12 degrees) place. It is necessary to water the seedlings daily and do it in the second half day. It is also recommended to spray the seedlings regularly from a finely dispersed spray bottle. After the fourth true leaf begins to form in the plants, they will need to be dived into individual cups. In this case, 3 or 4 plants should be planted in each glass. When the seedlings take root in a new place, they will need to be fed; for this, potassium fertilizer of low concentration is used. The second time the plants are fed after 1–1.5 weeks.

How to plant Mimulus with seeds

Description

New Belgian aster is a perennial herb from the genus Symfiotrichum. This plant comes from the lands of North America. Today, aster is common all over the world. The only exceptions are cold northern latitudes. This flower came to European countries from China. In Latin, "aster" is a star. Having planted such gorgeous plants in their local area, gardeners get their own beautiful "constellations".

Many gardeners know this beautiful plant under a different name - "octobrinka". A large number of varieties of this flower are characterized by late flowering, which occurs in September-October. New Belgian aster has thin, but very dense and strong stems.

There are a sufficient number of popular and beautiful varieties of octobrinka. Depending on the specific variety, plants can be short, reaching a height of only 60 cm, or high - up to 140 cm. Often this beautiful and interesting flower is used to create an unusual hedge or a bright border plant.

Due to the abundance of various varieties, this herbaceous plant is able to bloom from July to November. Not the mildest temperature of -5 degrees is not dangerous for these pets. The aster of the considered species will delight people with flowers of different shades. Bright lilac, pink and white specimens look especially bright and rich. Such plants will never get lost in the personal plot and will be a gorgeous decoration for it.

New Belgian aster differs in that a lot of flowers grow on it. The gorgeous bush is completely covered with them, due to which from the side it can strongly resemble a fluffy and bright cloud. A large number of small leaves, which have a rich dark green hue, contrast well against the background of juicy and variegated inflorescences.

The seeds of the plant in question are dark and oblong in shape. They appear in tubular centers. Each seed has a kind of "parachute" collected from fluffs. Thanks to this element, the seeds can easily fly in different directions at the slightest breeze.

Reproduction of Astrantia

Astrantia reproduces by dividing overgrown bushes.Young plants can also be obtained from seeds. To split Astrantia, dig up an adult specimen in early spring or early fall after flowering is complete. The division can be done with a pitchfork or a shovel, for this simply push the shovel through the earthen ball.

Depending on the size, the bush can be divided into 2 or more parts. For better growth, Astrantia is divided approximately once every 5-6 years, but if necessary, it can be divided more often.

To grow astrantia from seeds, sowing is carried out in the fall, because the seeds of this plant must be exposed to the cold, which will facilitate their germination with the onset of spring. You can sow seeds both in the open ground before winter, and arrange for them to winter in the refrigerator.

In this case, keep in mind that winter sleep should last at least 2 to 3 months. After the expiration of this period, the crops are placed in a bright, warm place at a temperature slightly above 20 degrees.

Planting grown seedlings in open ground is carried out in late May and early June. For growing seedlings of Astrania, it is better to choose freshly harvested seeds, since the germination time of seeds also increases with age. A technique called scarification (mechanical disruption of the seed coat) will also help to increase seed germination.

Due to the fact that Astrantia is still a rare guest in our gardens, it is not easy to find plant seeds on sale. But young delenki with an open or closed root system can often be found on sale in specialized stores or nurseries.

The first year after planting, the young planting material grows a rosette of lobed leaves, flowering occurs in the second year, and every year more and more flowers bloom on the bush. Sometimes astrantia can give self seeding.

Aerial astrantia always brings grace, lightness and grace to the flower garden. Lyudmila Svetlitskaya