Star of Fire Masterwort

‘Star of Fire’ is a clump-forming masterwort with dark red-purple flower heads, purple-red bracts and dark wiry stems. The flowers rise above a mound of lobed foliage in summer and autumn, making a strong close-up accent for a border or woodland edge. ## Flowers and Garden Use The Royal Horticultural Society describes this cultivar as a perennial reaching about 60 cm, with clusters of tiny dark red-purple flowers and long-lasting purple-red bracts. Its compact umbels are carried above a bushy mound, and the stems add a dark vertical line among nearby foliage. Astrantia flowers are attractive to visiting insects and can be used in cut arrangements; the Wisconsin Extension guide describes the genus’s pincushion-like heads and pollination by bees, flies and beetles. [RHS cultivar profile](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/299026/astrantia-major-star-of-fire/details) · [University of Wisconsin Extension guide](https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/astrantia-astrantia-major/) ## Siting and Soil Grow in sun or partial shade in soil that stays moist but drains freely. Astrantia performs best in fertile, humus-rich ground with consistent moisture; in warmer or sunnier sites, keep an eye on soil moisture through summer. [RHS growing conditions](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/299026/astrantia-major-star-of-fire/details) · [Wisconsin Extension cultivation guidance](https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/astrantia-astrantia-major/) ## Maintenance Remove faded flower heads if you want to limit seedlings or encourage a tidier repeat display. Water during dry spells to maintain evenly moist soil, and cut back tired stems after flowering. Watch for slugs, aphids and astrantia leaf miner; avoid allowing the root zone to dry out in hot weather.