greater masterwort, Astrantia major

"What's that flower in the aster family?", he naively asked the worker at Beal Gardens. Would probably have enjoyed this a little more if it was in that family. But it's always nice to see a flower in the carrot family that isn't another flat-topped white-flower look alike. With those large white bracts, it sure is a family outlier. That makes it a popular garden plant, particularly in its native Europe. Gardeners have developed versions with red flower heads, and almost any combination of shades between red and white. Greater masterwort has sort of escaped to the wilds on the continent, where it can be found wild in France. St. Pierre et Miquelon, that is. 6/11/15.