ANNUALS > CELOSIA
IN THIS GUIDE
CELOSIA GUIDES
Container GrowingIndoors GrowingSowing
Celosias are flowers that people tend to either honey or loathe , due to their rather unusual blossom and typical appearing .
They are challenging and spectacular ornamentals that can make quite a show in a summertime garden or as houseplant indoors .
Overview
PreferredFull Sun
ExposureSheltered
Height0.1 – 1 M
Spread0.1 – 0.5 thousand
Bloom TimeSummer
PreferredChalk , loam , sand
MoistureMoist but well - enfeeble
pHAny
A tender , herbaceous annual industrial plant hail from tropic climes , Celosia argenteais one of a small number of mintage within the Celosia genus .
In the UK , we lean to think of this as an ornamental flower , but since it has edible potential , it could be an interesting pick not only for flower beds and borders in summer , or for containers , but also for a food - producing garden.1Celosia ( Celosia argentea ) . ( n.d . ) . World Vegetable Center . call up March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://avrdc.org/celosia-celosia-argentea/
“ The young plant get spinach - tasting leaves before flowering , however , after this metre , they taste bitter , ” explain Master Horticulturist Roy Nicol.2Celosia . ( n.d . ) . UMN Extension . Retrieved May 10 , 2023 , fromhttps://extension.umn.edu/flowers/celosia
The plant is believe to have originated in tropical Africa , though it has now spread throughout many tropical and subtropic region .
Common Varieties
Some common genus Celosia varieties farm in the UK include :
Celosia argenteavar.cristata(Plumosa Group ) , with appoint cultivar including :
While ‘ Century Rose ’ ( AGM ) and ‘ Glow Red ’ ( AGM ) are two other popular cultivar .
Celosia argentea(Spicata Group ) is yet another popular choice :
There are , of trend , mountain of other named cultivars to select from , include dwarf miscellany and yellow varieties , amongst many more .
How To Grow Celosia
Celosia is in some way a comparatively light plant to grow .
It can be grown indoors or outdoors in container , or outdoors in your garden as long as it is provided with a worthy smear .
Celosia can be develop from seed , which you should sow indoors in former outflow .
However , should you care to grow genus Celosia from come , you are probable to require a heated disseminator , as a temperature between 20 - 25 ° deoxycytidine monophosphate is command for sprouting .
The come should ideally be sown into individual , biodegradable works pots , land blocks , or toilet roll tubes so you may plant these out into your garden easily without raise up the root .
replete your biodegradable dope or make dirt blocks with moist , cum - starting compost mixed with perlite or an equivalent weight to a ratio of around 2:1 .
Place your seed on the surface of this , then plow them lightly with a thin stratum of this mix .
Grow your seedling indoors before hardening them off and planting them out in your garden ( if you are grow outside ) in other summer .
If you make up one’s mind to waive this stride , you could also buy pot - grown celosias in early summer from a works nursery or garden centre .
Ongoing Celosia Care
The most important matter to remember when handle for celosias is that these industrial plant hail from tropic climes , so they do require extra care to ensure that they get the correct originate condition to follow in the UK .
Celosia are H2 hardy .
This mean that they can make do with moth-eaten temperature , but will not survive temperatures that dip below 1 ° C .
They can typically live out of doors in the British summertime in the right spot , but wo n’t during the winter here in the UK .
For them to develop successfully , it is very important to verify that celosias have a attitude in full sun that is sheltered from harsh hint .
A Mae West or southward - face aspect is often idealistic .
When grow in the soil in a garden , celosias will do well in chalk , loam or guts .
They require moist but well - drain status , so you should stave off growing them in heavy clay or land with a tendency to become waterlogged .
When it come to soil pH , these flora are far less fussy and will brook acid , indifferent or alkaline soil .
The most significant thing is good drainage , so drive to ensure that waterlogging and overly - moist experimental condition are avoided .
Celosias do not wish the soil or turn medium to dry out whole , so , whilst you should keep the land or potting commixture moist , you should take forethought not to overwater .
While the plants are in flower , peculiarly if you are growing your plants in containers , it is best to fertilize your celosias with an constitutional liquid plant provender rich in atomic number 19 every couple of weeks or so .
Though not essential , you could slew off faded peak to keep the flora tidy and encourage the formation of further blooms .
However , it is deserving noting that the flowers might actually be harvested before this phase since these blooms have absolutely wonderful excision flush .
Once dried , these efflorescence will keep their colouration for at least half a twelvemonth or so .
The most vulgar trouble encountered when growing Celosia touch on to poor drainage or temperatures that are not sufficiently warm .
seek to ensure that the flora does not feel temperature below 5 ° speed of light , and sure not below 1 ° C , and take care to ensure honest drainage and watering .
pitiful drain or over - watering can lead to yellowing leave and rotting stems and wilting .
woefully , once plant droop they are improbable to recover .
When grow genus Celosia indoors , you are more likely to encounter pest problems .
Look out for whitefly in particular when acquire these plant inside .
Celosia can ego - seed prolifically in warmer climates .
However , while it may occasionally ego - germ in the British Isles , this is not as common in the UK as it can be elsewhere .
However , if you keep your genus Celosia in an ideal spot in your garden and lease them go to seed , you may be rewarded with more flora start up without the need to seed more the next time of year .
