The good news begins the moment you plant the seeds. Unlike earlier varieties, Astra boasts a whopping 90% germination rate, so you get more plants from every packet of seeds. And such lovely plants they are -- compact yet well-branched, reaching 6 to 12 inches high, 6 to 8 inches wide, and just begging to be placed in your best flowerpots, windowboxes, and hanging baskets! Tolerant of full sun or light shade, they grow quickly and are wonderfully consistent across the series for bloomtime and height.
And then the flowers arrive! A full 3 inches across, they sport thicker petals than older Balloon Flower varieties, which help them stay fresh and attractive even longer. And because the plant is so densely-branched, you can expect a bumper crop of bright pink blooms every summer from Astra Pink! The flowers begin with the first warm weather and don't quit till fall, blooming continuously (rather than in waves) for months!
If you like the looks of Astra Pink, consider a colorful planting of the whole series -- blue, white, and semi-double blue and lavender! Or just plant the mix of all 5 colors! Zones 4-9. Pkt is 20 seeds.
A perennial for borders, beds, rock gardens, and for fresh cut flower use. Plants are compact and clump-forming from 2 feet tall to 12 inches wide. The showy balloon-like buds swell to burst open as 2-3 inch, bowl-shaped flowers with pointed petals. The buds and flowers are colored pink, blue, or white and appear in mid-summer. Foliage is bluish green, ovate to 2 inches long, and the margins are toothed
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.
The good news begins the moment you plant the seeds. Unlike earlier varieties, Astra boasts a whopping 90% germination rate, so you get more plants from every packet of seeds. And such lovely plants they are -- compact yet well-branched, reaching 6 to 12 inches high, 6 to 8 inches wide, and just begging to be placed in your best flowerpots, windowboxes, and hanging baskets! Tolerant of full sun or light shade, they grow quickly and are wonderfully consistent across the series for bloomtime and height.
And then the flowers arrive! A full 3 inches across, they sport thicker petals than older Balloon Flower varieties, which help them stay fresh and attractive even longer. And because the plant is so densely-branched, you can expect a bumper crop of bright pink blooms every summer from Astra Pink! The flowers begin with the first warm weather and don't quit till fall, blooming continuously (rather than in waves) for months!
If you like the looks of Astra Pink, consider a colorful planting of the whole series -- blue, white, and semi-double blue and lavender! Or just plant the mix of all 5 colors! Zones 4-9. Pkt is 20 seeds.
A perennial for borders, beds, rock gardens, and for fresh cut flower use. Plants are compact and clump-forming from 2 feet tall to 12 inches wide. The showy balloon-like buds swell to burst open as 2-3 inch, bowl-shaped flowers with pointed petals. The buds and flowers are colored pink, blue, or white and appear in mid-summer. Foliage is bluish green, ovate to 2 inches long, and the margins are toothed
Superior Germination Through Superior Science
First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.
Superior Standards - University Inspected
Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians
Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.
When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.
The Park Seed Gold Standard
Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).
Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.