The celosia flower makes beautiful floral arrangements and dried wreaths, but it will also look great in a garden bed or pot planters.
Learn how to grow a celosia flower in our step by step guide!
RELATED: Fall Gardening With 13 Stunning Perennial Flowering Bulbs
How To Grow The Exuberant Celosia Flower | A Step-By-Step Guide
Things You'll Need
- Tiller
- Organic matter amendments
- Rake
- Trowel
- Celosia seeds, seedlings, or cuttings
Step 1: Choose the Celosia Flower Varieties You Want to Grow
There are few ways to plant celosia. It can be from seed, seedlings or cuttings. Here three kinds of celosia which you can choose from:
- Plumed Celosia
These long-flowering variety will put on a catchy display with a wide array of colorful flowers that can grow from 12 to 18 inches long. Plumed celosia varieties are ideal for cutting gardens, beds, and borders. Fresh Look, Plumed Castle, and Arrabona Red are all plumed celosia. - Cockscomb Celosia
This cultivar resembles the brain or rooster's comb. The crested flower heads bloom in various vibrant colors and show-stopping height of up to 30 inches. Varieties of this cultivar include Red Velvet, Gypsy Queen, Fan Dance Scarlet, or Crested Amor. - Wheat Celosia
This spiked variety gets its name from its wheat-shaped flower blooms. This variety also grows to showy heights of up to 36 inches. This variety includes Flamingo, Forest Fire, and Asian Garden.
Step 2: Prepare the Soil
Once you have settled for a celosia cultivar, prepare the garden bed where your seeds, cutting, or seedlings will go.
Choose a spot in your flower garden that can get direct sunlight exposure for at least eight hours daily. More critical than warmth and sunlight is excellent drainage – celosia flowers will develop root rot in poorly drained soil.
To increase your raised bed's drainage capacity, apply a layer of two to six inches of organic amendments, and work it 10 to 12 inches deep into the garden bed. Organic matter such as coir, peat moss, bone, or compost heap will do.
Moreover, celosia plants thrive in a soil pH of between 6.0 and 7.0. Tip: Adding sulfur or lime will help you lower or raise the soil pH.
If you choose to grow the celosia flower in pot planters, go for a high-quality potting mix. Amending the potting mix with peat or coir will increase drainage.
Reminder: Adding a mulch layer will help keep the soil moist while keeping weeds and pests at bay.
RELATED: 15 Outdoor Fall Decor Ideas To Freshen Up Your Garden
Step 3: Planting the Celosia Flower
Loosen the bed soil that has been amended with organic matter. A rake will be sufficient for this. When entirely loosened, use a trowel to dig half-inch holes, 8 to 12 inches apart, and sow the seeds.
Cover with a quarter-inch of soil or mulch layer and the seeds will germinate in six to 14 days. Frequently mist the sowed seed to facilitate germination. Drying out the soil will cause the planted seeds to die.
When buying seedlings from nurseries, ensure you go for the ones without tangled roots to increase growth chances. If you choose to start your seedlings, transplant them when they are at least four inches long. Transplant the seedlings with their starting soil, celosia flowers are fussy about root disturbance.
For cuttings, you can choose to plant them directly into the ground to root on their own, or you can root them in sand or water.
Growing Care Tips
- Be sure to stake taller flowers to provide the much-needed support to hold the weight of the blooms.
- The celosia plant is drought-resistant but will appreciate regular watering.
- When watering celosia flowers, avoid overhead sprinklers. Instead, go for soaker horses to prevent the spread of disease.
- Pinch your celosia plants to encourage consistent growth and prune dead leaves and blossoms.
- Celosia flowers pair well with the showy dahlia or some pretty marigolds.
Watch this video from Gardening Upbeat on how to grow and care for celosia plants:
There you go, green thumbs. This is how you grow a prolific celosia garden. With this detailed guide, your front yard will become a focal point with the exotic celosia, even as a novice.
What other fall flowers are you looking to grow this season? Let us know in the comments section below!
Up Next:
- 13 Pretty Fall Flowers To Plant In Your Autumn Garden Right Now
- 7 Exciting Ways In Preserving Flowers For Winter Delight
- How To Build Your Own Wood Arbor For Your Fall Garden
Calling all green thumbs, Garden Season needs YOU!
Click here if you want to write for us!
Want to stay up to date? Follow Garden Season on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
