Garden Spotlight: Annual Celosia
This month’s Garden Spotlight features a striking late Summer and early Fall beauty from our Greenhouses: Annual Celosia
As our Home & Garden stores work on our Fall changeover, the season’s garden staples start to make their appearance. Mums, Asters, Celosia and more flowering favorites light up our greenhouses with fantastic Fall color. In particular, Celosia stands out for its unique floral patterns and vibrant coloration. We have quite a few awesome varieties of these hardy annuals for you to incorporate into your Fall landscape!
With attractive qualities that gardeners appreciate, to its stunning, alluring presence, see why you need Celosia this Fall.
Qualities We Love
First, casual gardeners and those with busy schedules absolutely love Celosia for its low maintenance. Generally speaking, it needs very little attention apart from regular waterings to keep the soil moist. However, most people find themselves attracted to Celosia for its breathtaking beauty and singularity. With powerful blooms in reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, purples, and whites, your neighbors can’t miss it as they drive by your house. Also, its unique burst bloom shape helps it to further stand out among its competition. Most Celosia have blue-green, purple-burgundy, or chartreuse-gold foliage, which contrast the bright bloom colors extremely well.
Besides its appearance, Celosia boasts even more positive characteristics! Despite requiring regular waterings, it tolerates drought quite well. Your plants might droop or tilt during periods of little rain or if you go on vacation, but returning to a normal schedule should fix that quickly. Since they bloom well through late Summer and Fall, they stand strong against the heat (the cold, however, defeats them). Deer also avoid them due to their fuzzy texture, so don’t be afraid to plant them if you live near woods or large, open plains. Very little pests and diseases plague Celosia, though they might be susceptible to powdery mildew and aphids. Maintain a healthy watering schedule and you should have no problem with them!
Care
Overall, these annuals are care-free! Plant them in a spot that receives plenty of direct sunlight in rich, well-drained soil. Avoid clay-heavy soils, as drainage is key to keeping them looking spry. Follow a consistent watering routine throughout the Summer months especially. Provide roughly 1 inch of water weekly, though be careful not to over-water. Celosia like their soil to be moist, but not saturated. Try and water 3-4 times per week throughout the Summer, cutting back to 1-2 times in Fall. As they can flower profusely from June up until the first frost, you may need to keep an eye out for when you may need to cut blooms. While you do not need to prune Celosia, you can remove spent blooms to encourage a fresh appearance.
Varieties
Do a simple search online for Celosia and you’ll see a wide array of shapes, colors, sizes, and textures! Celosia varieties typically fall under three main categories with respect to the previously stated qualities:
- Cock’s Comb: This variety gets its name for its comparison to the comb that roosters have on their head. Also known as Crested, its brain-like flowers also share a striking resemblance to octopus tentacles. They typically round off in feather duster-like fashion, contrasting the spiky behavior of other Celosia varieties. Their pattern appears most weave-like, and pollinators love paying them a quick visit.
- In Our Stores: Twisted Red, Hot Topic Clown, Hot Topic Purple, Hot Topic Pink
- Plumed: This type has feathery, upright flowers that stand tall in containers and bouquets, towering over other annuals in your garden. This is the most common variety, with widespread appeal and uses. Gardeners have compared their blooms to flames and cotton candy. Their flowers grow much broader than the other two varieties.
- In Our Stores: Dragon’s Breath, Fresh Look Red, Fresh Look Yellow
- Spicata: What does this type remind you of? If you said coral, we agree! Many say it also has a wheat-like appearance. Because it tends to grow much larger, it also typically flowers less than other varieties. It may even produce only one bloom at a time.
- In Our Stores: Intenz Classic, Intenz Dark Purple
Uses
Ultimately, Celosia is a flower of many talents! Nearly any gardening scenario that you can think of will suit Celosia. They add fantastic value to your landscape and flower arrangements with their intense color and gorgeous bloom shapes. Their hardiness allows you to place them in conditions that other showy annuals might not withstand.
Try dwarf varieties in container gardens as flashy fillers, or use them as edging along small walkways. Taller stalks work great as border plants. Use them in mass plantings, containers, spotlight plantings, and decorative designs. Thanks to its standout appearance, try them in your next cut or dried flower project. As we progress into Fall, pair Celosia in the garden with any variety of mums and asters. If you really want to get creative, plant them in a large pumpkin for a Fall centerpiece!
Visit Our Home & Garden Stores!
We hope this spotlight provided valuable information about Annual Celosia from our Greenhouses and excites you for Fall gardening. Now is the perfect time to stop in our stores and talk to our team members about them. We can provide even more suggestions on the perfect plants to pair with them, and recommend more beneficial products to help with their care.
Check our Home & Garden specials in our sales flyer and watch for sales on Celosia!