Celosia: Unexpected Splendidness

Celosia was probably my biggest surprise in the garden last year. Celosia seeds are ridiculously small black seeds that are next to impossible to direct sow in the field. Because they are so tiny and so easy to lose if you accidentally drop one or 10 in a hole, I was not expecting much from celosia. You can read more about the planting here: Drip Tape and Seeds — Bloomindipity To confirm my suspicions, I also felt like they took a long time to grow, so as the season went on and the plants were not doing a lot, I thought it was going to be a bust.

Well, I could not have been more wrong. Not only did the celosia grow, but it grew to be about 4’+ feet tall and bloomed beautifully. The red, orange, and yellow plumes were a great filler and accents in bouquets and looked amazing in the field. I am often impressed by the natural world and it is reinforced when you watch something grow from a literal black speck to 4’ or more with colorful feathery plumes. It just seems like it should not be possible, yet, before my eyes, it happened.  

Celosia plants in August. So hard to believe these plants grew from a speck of a seed.

Unfortunately, for 2023, we will not be planting celosia. I want to try some other filler flowers and I do not want to expand my growing space, but I am definitely not done with celosia. There will be a spot in the garden for celosia in the future. No doubt! 

Beautiful yellow celosia plumes. They were so much fun in bouquets.