Astrantia
kasjk
Posts: 137
Can anyone tell me why my Astrantia is looking like it does in the attached image? I have two types, planted next to each other, the one that looks 'normal' is Astrantia Buckland and the one that's got drooping flower heads and not looking like and Astrantia at all at the moment is called Roma. How come the one looks like it is about to die and the other is thriving? I planted them at the same time, they're in the same soil and get the same amount of water and light.
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the leaves on the drooping one look yellowish, have you given it a good feed recently? it might just be hungry?
also what have you planted around them, i'm assuming you have different plants around each?
Hi treehugger80,
I did feed them both with liquid seaweed and water about a week ago. There are other plants around them, a shrub that I don't know the name of and some peonies. I'm just surprised the one is doing so well and the other isn't.
It might just be the heat. I've always done better with min in some shade and with moisture retentive soil. The darker red astrantias do better in more sun but the pale ones like it cooler. Try watering again at dusk and also spray the foliage to cool it down.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Sometimes, plants don't transplant well if planted in heat. When were they planted? If you planted them the last few weeks, it's a harsh time, especially if they're about to flower or even in flower. The greyer coloured varieties tend to do better in shade. Even if they say they do well in sun, Astrantias newly planted are less likely to settle so well in sun. It's best to plant in shade and maybe move in spring time. At this moment, they need to have their roots settle down.
As advised by others, water them a lot now, but consider cutting down the tops so it can recover. Keep the base well mulched.
Hi borderline,
Thanks for the advice. Both were actually planted in May of last year. But I might just cut the one down anyway and see what happens. Would it grow back again this year if I did that?
If you have planted them from last year, it's probably heat stress and needs some ice cubes in the base areas in the evening time to keep the plant cool.
However, if you want, do a test. Move the one that is drooping to a more shadier area in springtime. See how it performs. Personally, I have never grown Astrantias in a lot of sun, but have seen others do it. I really believe that it depends on which ones and because there are so many, some are more robust than others. The maxiumum amount of sun in high summer is usually no more than 3 hours with mine in the past.
You can cut down the flower stems and tidy up the leaves around the base, it should be fine. They usually die down in winter and new shoots should emerge in early spring.
Last edited: 21 June 2017 16:14:01