Celosia are a weird and wonderful flower, perfectly suited for cutting or drying. With feathery plumages in a wide variety of vibrant colours and shapes, these textural blooms are real garden workhorses, producing an abundance of stems great for arranging.
Seed Sowing
Don’t sow too early as Celosia do not like the cold. Sow seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date (roughly March – April) in module trays or seed trays to be pricked out. Keep in a warm place as they grow.
Transplanting
Transplant outside in May once danger of frost has passed, spacing plants 30cm apart. Alternatively direct sow in May into weed free, well prepared soil, sowing into shallow drills 20cm apart. Thin to 30cm in the row once seeds have germinated. Celosia can also be grown in containers.
Plant Care
Celosia thrive in hot and humid conditions and may grow better undercover in a polytunnel or greenhouse. Keep the area weed-free and watered during hot spells. You can mulch around the plants to keep in moisture and prevent weeds. Deadhead to prolong flowering. Stems may need support, especially in windy growing conditions.
Challenges
Celosia are generally easy to grow and free from most pests and diseases.
Harvest
Pinch out the central stem to encourage lower branching stems of a more workable length. Pick the flowers often to encourage more flowers to form.
Ideally harvest the flowers in the morning when temperatures are low and plant water content is high. Plants will arrange better if left to sit in water for a few hours after cutting. Celosia have a very long vase life of up to two weeks.
To dry, cut stems and remove lower leaves and hang upside down in bunches in a cool, dark and well ventilated space.
Culinary Ideas And Uses
Celosia is part of the amaranth family and can be used in a similar way in cooking. Before flowering, its leaves can be harvested and used in recipes just like spinach.
Seed Saving
Harvest the individual flowers as they dry or whole plants once most of the flowers on the stem have dried. Lay out on a sheet to dry further and thresh by hand and winnow to clean the seeds.
Store in a cool dark place.
Most popular Celosia Seeds
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Celosia – Flamingo Feather (Organic)
£2.50 Add to basketCelosia – Flamingo Feather (Organic)
A beautiful variety producing white flower spikes with striking pink tips. We love this variety for its feathery plumes which make a great cut flower for bouquets. Bunches can also be hung and dried upside down as everlasting flowers for winter decoration.
(Approximate seed count – 75)
£2.50 -
Celosia – Vintage Rose (Organic)
£2.50 Add to basketCelosia – Vintage Rose (Organic)
Most beautiful tones of silvery blush pink and cream colours, great for fresh and dried bouquets. What a delight having these plumes growing in the garden. Very elegant as a cut flower and it goes in almost any bouquet with their silvery cream, warm pink and peachy palette against dark green foliage.
Celosia keeps its colours when dried. This variety lives up to its name when hung and dry, the colours fade ever so slightly and get even more of a vintage feel to them.
(Approximate seed count – 100)
£2.50
