Astrantia Cerise Button, commonly known as Masterwort, is a beautiful choice for gardeners who love soft color, long bloom time, and plants that look natural in the border. This compact perennial produces masses of small cerise pink to raspberry pink flowers above fresh green foliage, giving the garden a delicate but colorful look from late spring into summer. The flowers have the classic Masterwort shape, with tiny pincushion centers surrounded by papery bracts that look almost like little buttons. That is where the name fits so well. It has a refined, cottage garden feel without looking too formal, and it works beautifully in mixed perennial borders. Astrantia Cerise Button is especially useful because it flowers heavily and keeps going for weeks. It is more compact than many older Astrantia varieties, but still has a full, bushy habit that fills the front or middle of a border beautifully. Plant it with peonies, salvia, catmint, campanula, alliums, ferns, hostas, or ornamental grasses for a soft, natural garden look. This Masterwort grows best in full sun to partial shade, with the best performance in soil that stays reasonably moist but drains well. In hotter parts of the USA, afternoon shade is helpful. Once established, it is an easy perennial for borders, woodland edges, pollinator gardens, and naturalistic plantings. The flowers are also excellent for cutting and can be used fresh or dried. For gardeners looking for something graceful but not fussy, Astrantia Cerise Button is a wonderful perennial. It brings a long season of color, attracts bees, and adds that soft European garden look that is hard to get from louder summer flowers. Astrantia Cerise Button is also listed as Astrantia major Cerise Button and Astrantia major Noastwo Cerise Button. It is a hardy clump forming perennial with green foliage and masses of cerise pink to raspberry pink flowers. The bloom season is usually late spring through summer, with several growers listing flowering from May or June into August or September. Plants generally reach around 24 to 28 inches tall, depending on growing conditions. It grows best in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist, well drained soil. Astrantia Cerise Button is a strong choice for cottage gardens, perennial borders, pollinator plantings, woodland edges, and cut flower gardens.
