Also called love - lies - bleeding , this yearly flora looks especially pretty in dried blossom organisation .
Laurie Black
An well-off - to - grow annual with a big garden presence , foxtail amaranth(Amaranthus caudatus)may be tricky to find in garden essence but can beeasily grown from seed . It ’s also known as dear - lies - bleeding and tassel flower because of its showy , ropelike bloom stalks that appear around midsummer . The flowers hold their colouration as the panicles of bloom continue farm until Robert Lee Frost , extend 12 inches or more toward the basis . They makebeautiful plus to cut bloom arrangement . This pathfinder explains how to uprise foxtail grass amaranth in your own garden .
Credit:Laurie Black
Where to Plant Foxtail Amaranth
foxtail grass amaranth is a great planting solution forfull - sun locationsthat need a grownup spatter of colouring . Use thisbold annualto add afocal spot to containersand as standouts in the center or back of garden beds .
plant uprise 3–5 foot grandiloquent and spread 1–3 foot wide , depending on the variety , so ensure the amaranth has plenty of blank to lucubrate as the season progresses . The plants grow quickly as soon as daylight temperatures on a regular basis strain 70 ° atomic number 9 . This plant loves to hit it up up the sun , but it needs body of water for germination and during pollenation , so found it where you’re able to easily irrigate it .
How and When to Plant Foxtail Amaranth
Either sow seed ortransplant seedlingsinto the garden afterall chance of frost has passed in springiness .
In other spring , after the last medium frost date in your area , direct sow the tiny seeds thin in awell - debilitate garden bed , covering them only gently with soil . Keep the soil moist until the seeded player burgeon forth , which takes five to 10 days at temperatures close to 70 ° F . When the seedlings reach 4 inches improbable , reduce them to endure 12 - 18 in apart , look on the multifariousness . These quick - growers will bloom within eight hebdomad after sowing .
If you opt tostart the seeds indoorsfor transplants afterwards , sow the seeds in a soilless planting premix six to eight workweek before the last spring freeze day of the month . Place them in a bright , lovesome location and keep the planting medium moist until germination . Harden off the ensue seedlings before transplanting them into the garden after the last frost date .
Credit:BHG / Kerri Jo
Foxtail amaranthoften needs stake when its long efflorescence stalk develop , so drop a 4 - foot - tall stakes into the grunge near the base of each plant life . As it grows , slackly link its radical to the wager .
Foxtail Amaranth Care Tips
Light
Full sun is essentialfor this plant to thrive — six or more 60 minutes daily . When grown in partial specter , foxtail grass amaranth make fewer heyday and weak radical .
Soil and Water
Foxtail amaranth thrivesin moist , loamy , average or organically rich , well - drain dirt , but it develop in just about any soil , even sandy and mud grunge . Water this plant once or twice a workweek during dry spells , induce certain it receives at least 1 inch of water each calendar week . It needs pee during germination and pollination but can do with less water for the rest of the time of year .
Temperature and Humidity
Foxtail amaranth grow best when the temperature is between 70 ° F and 82 ° F , but it tolerates a much wide reach — from 45 ° to 100 ° degree Fahrenheit . This annual ca n’t handle stale weather , though . Any temperature chillier than 40 ° F kills the plant . Average humidity is sufficient for the plant , although it is grown in the humid tropics successfully .
Fertilizer
Foxtail amaranth plants do n’t need any supplemental plant food , but gardener who want tofertilize their plantsshould use only organic fertilizers , such as aweekly spray of compost tea . This plant is intolerant of inorganic plant food , especially those containinghigh amounts of nitrogen .
Pruning
There is no want to cut this annual . Remove any damaged foliage as it occur to warn any pests or disease that could take reward of the situation . After the flora dies in winter , get rid of and dispose the remaining foliation .
Potting and Repotting Foxtail Amaranth
Because of their cascading flowers , smaller foxtail grass amaranth plants are first-class for growing inhanging baskets . Use well - draining potting dirt in a container with fantabulous drain . Set the plantation owner outside when strong atmospheric condition arrives and leave it until the plant dies in fall . This plant life is an annual , so it does n’t require repotting .
Pests and Problems
Aphids are frequent visitors of foxtail amaranth plants . They can be removed with a strong sprayer of urine ortreated with neem oil .
Leaf beetlescan be a problem for foxtail amaranth . Watch for minuscule holes on the leave , which is the first indication of their bearing . Spray beetle with soapy water or foot off the beetles and drop them into soapy urine . Most of the harm is ornamental , but a full - blown plague of beetles , nymphs , and bollock can weaken the plant and call for an insect powder or the remotion of the plant from the garden . The same treatment are recommended for caterpillars receive on the leaves .
How to Propagate Foxtail Amaranth
The best manner to spread foxtail amaranth is with germ harvest from a mature plant . Wait until the peak stubble become flat and begin to turn browned . nurse a newspaper bag under the stalk and loosen the flower tassels with your finger , causing good seminal fluid to drop into the old bag . slay any chaff and stack away the seeds in an airtight jar in a wry , dark locating until spring . Start foxtail grass amaranth from seminal fluid indoors six to eight weeksbefore your field ’s last frost , or sow in them flat in the garden after the weather warms .
Harvesting Flowers
Foxtail amaranth is afavorite everlasting flower . Its prime turn a warm shade of bronze after the stems dry . To harvest root for dry , bring down new , fresh flower stalks . bind two or three stems together and hang them in a dark , windy , dry home . The stems will dry out in about one month and can be added todried flower arrangements .
Types of Foxtail Amaranth
‘Coral Fountain’ Foxtail Amaranth
Amaranthus caudatus’Coral Fountain ' has light coral - pinkish tassels and turn 3 - 5 feet tall . It make a assertion in both dehydrated and fresh arrangements . ' Coral Fountain ' relishes heat and come into its own in midsummer , blooming until late nightfall .
‘Dreadlocks’ Foxtail Amaranth
Amaranthus caudatus’Dreadlocks ’ , known for its long tassel of bright magenta flowers , is anexotic plantthat bestow drama to the garden . Its arrant blooms are spectacular in flush arrangements , and birds love the seedheads . It grow to 3 - 5 metrical unit .
‘Emerald Tassles’ Foxtail Amaranth
If you ’re look for something different , Amaranthus caudatus‘Emerald Tassles ’ delivers with linden unripened tail bloom that couple attractively with ' Coral Fountain ' in arrangements . This plant grows to 5 foot marvelous .
‘Fat Spike’ Foxtail Amaranth
Amaranthus caudatus‘Fat Spike ’ does n’t have the sag panicle that most foxtail amaranth plant have . It has a undivided just deep violet - red flower spike . The spike is 3 inch thick , sometimes tapering to 1 column inch . Overall , the plant life reaches 3 - 4 feet tall .
Foxtail Amaranth Companion Plants
Celosia
BHG / Kerri Jo
There are few flowersas showy as celosia . Whether you plant the plumed case , which produces striking vertical spires , or the crested eccentric , which has a fascinating twisted pattern , you ’ll love using celosia in corsage . The peak are beautiful fresh , but they also dry well . They bloom in all the colors of a glowing sunset . Plant established seedlings in outflow after all danger of frost has pass . Celosia care copious , well - drained soil with moderate water . wanderer hint can sometimes be a problem in hot , wry weather .
Mexican Sunflower
Attract butterfliesand have fun doing it withbig , bluff , beautiful Mexican helianthus . Sow seeds directly in the dry land and watch them hang glide . This plant life can turn to 5 feet in weeks with swelled , riotous foliage and diminished but gaudy bloom in sunset colors that mash sexual love . Put a cluster of these bodacious lulu in the back of the moulding to give it height and play . Many of the marvelous type need staking to keep them just . Plant them outdoors after all risk of frost has passed in a sunny spot with well - drained soil .
Annual Sunflower
large , beautiful , and old - fashioned , sunflowers suit most gardens . Plant breeders have been hard at work bring on a extensive variety , from those that develop 12 understructure tall tocompact sunflower selectionsthat place upright only 3 foot tall . The color ambit is wide-eyed , too , with almost every ghost of lily-livered , orangish , and red .
Frequently Asked Questions
Most amaranth specie , including foxtail grass amaranth , are edible and not toxic to humans or animal .
cervid and rabbits avoid it , even though it is often used as an ingredient in animal feed for cattle , pigs , and chickens .
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Greg Ryan
