Get to know Celosia
Do you want flowers that last up to a month in fantastic colors and striking shapes? Learn how to grow celosia (Celosia argentea cristata). This tender perennial remains undaunted in the summer sun and produces a profusion of flowers to enjoy in the garden and in a vase. You can even dry some as a reminder of warm summer days once winter sets in.
3 common names for celosia’s different flower types:
Plume celosia has soft feathery flowers in red, orange, yellow, pink and magenta.
Cockscomb celosia has spikes of ruffled flowers that you’ll find in red, orange, yellow, pink, magenta and bicolor.
Wheat celosia, as you might guess, looks a bit like wheat. It blooms in shades of pink or reddish-purple and self-sows often with the right growing conditions.
Many celosias are part of a series and you can easily find them at the garden centre. Mail order sources are a good place to look for heirloom and taller varieties, which are often grown as cut flowers.
How to grow beautiful celosia
You can find lots of celosia varieties at the garden center, but most are bedding plants. Starting them from seed gives you even more colors, shapes and sizes. Once you get plants in the ground, celosia is not fussy. Follow these simple guidelines and you will have beautiful flowers from early summer until the first frost kills the plants.
Cultivation tips
Grow celosia in full sun – at least 6 to 8 hours a day.
Well-drained, nutrient-rich soil makes plants grow strong.
Use liquid plant food every two weeks, especially if it has been rainy or really hot: Heavy rain can wash away nutrients and temperatures above 95 degrees F slow growth.
You may need to invest in taller varieties, especially the rooster’s comb types with their heavy blooms. Push a bamboo stake into the ground within a few inches of the stem at planting time and secure it with a piece of twine in a figure-eight pattern as it grows.
Knowledge of Celosia flowers
Although celosia flowers can last up to a month, they still need deadheading to speed up new ones. Flowers start to fade from the bottom up so when the lower third to half is done, remove it at the leaf joint. This encourages side stems to take off faster, and plants won’t waste energy producing seed.
Harvest cut flowers when the flowers are fully mature and they last for weeks in a vase. Just be sure to use a floral preservative or change the water frequently to avoid rotting stems. If you just can’t let your celosia go in the fall, you can bring a few plants inside and enjoy the blooms for a few more weeks. But once they fade, toss the plants – celosia does not overwinter well.
Drying celosia flowers: Place the flowers at different levels in the bunch so that the air circulates and the flowers are not damaged.
Place the flowers at different levels in the bunch so that the air circulates and the flowers are not damaged.
How to dry celosia flowers
Dried celosia flowers are a beautiful addition to late season floral arrangements, imagine them on your Thanksgiving tablescape! Follow these simple tips and you should have dried flowers in about a month.
Harvest mature flowers that have not set seed yet in the morning after the dew has dried.
Cut the longest stem you can and place it in a bucket of water until you get back inside.
Bundle six to eight stems together with a rubber band and hang them upside down to keep the stems straight in a warm, dry place such as an attic or shed.
Place the flowers at different levels in the bunch so that the air circulates and the flowers are not damaged.
Keep the flowers away from direct light to preserve the color.
Space bundles to allow good air circulation and avoid mold.
Troubleshooting celosia
There are few pests or diseases that bother celosia. The most common problem is rot and this is usually caused by plants growing in poorly drained soil or being overwatered. Also, wait until early summer to buy your plants at the garden center. Get them too early and cold temperatures and heavy rain can stunt their growth or rot.
