14/01/2025
Celosia, Annual
Celosia, my dear friend. I grow rows and rows of this crop every year. It is a staple for my summer arrangements and it couldn’t be an easier flower to grow! They add a lot of texture and movement to our flowers. They love the heat, and can take temperatures over 100 degrees with no problems. They don’t require a ton of water, (don’t overwater) I’ve seen them grow wild on the property with just rain. A lot of varieties are super tall, between 3- 5 feet. We grow ours at 9 in apart. They come in every color imaginable. Some of my favorites I grew from Floret last year, I saved the seed, so hopefully I can see them again. This flower, you can direct sow and I’ve seen it sow itself all over the property without my help! Celosia can grow in not ideal soil, I always grow it in my worst spots in the field, and it grows just fine! I don’t stake or support mine as they are strong enough to stand on their own. You can also hang it upside down and dry it out, all the bright colors keep their color. Something I don’t like? The mess it makes on my counter after harvest. Once in a vase, it starts to drop all its little black “dots:. So if you see that, don’t be alarmed, it’s just its seeds! You can prevent this by only harvesting celosia in phase 1, but I tend to harvest into phase 3 as the flowers are still so beautiful!
There are four main forms that I grow here on the farm: brains, fans, plumes, and feathers.
