Each year at the fall flower shows of garden clubs and county and state fairs, the magnificence of cockscomb (Celosia) has onlookers exclaiming in a mixture of disbelief and delight.
The vegetable and flower booths at local fall fairs are stripped instantly by avid flower arrangers who flock to purchase the cockscomb sold there.
Celosia Growing Requirements
It is not difficult to grow beautiful Celosia in your home garden. Just give the plants their three requirements—rich loam, plenty of water, and full sun.
Celosia is an annual. Here in USDA Zone 7, it starts blooming around late July or early August and continues until frost.
Celosia Varieties For Flowering Arranging
There are three varieties popular with flower arrangers. C. plumosa, also called ostrich plume, grows 24″ to 30″ inches.
The foliage of Celosia is as lovely as its flower and can be used to dramatize other flowers or with other foliage before the plumes or crests develop.
Cristata, or crested dwarf variety, grows to about 12″ with great velvet heads spreading out as much as a foot.
The crested Gilbert varieties grow about 24″ inches and are the soft rose shade, so much in demand for flower arranging.
The variety Rose Beauty has a silvery base, which makes it especially appealing. Toreador is a stunning, intense scarlet red.
The crested type requires a lot of room. I have found that celosias are happy in my vegetable garden.
I use the first few rows of our vegetable garden for annuals, which I can cut in quantity without disturbing the flower borders around the house.
Combining and Blending Cockscomb
Cockscombs are vivid in their rich red, gold, orange, rust, and rose colorings. They blend well in borders with marigolds and zinnias.
If you want to grow them for winter arrangements but find their colors too strong, tone them down with a planting of dusty Miller in front and tall Artemisia Silver King in back. This makes a handsome contrast.
Do not be too hasty in planting Celosia seeds outdoors. They mature in the good, warm earth, so restrain yourself or start the seeds indoors, disturbing their roots as little as possible when transplanting.
Better yet, start the seeds in fertilized peat pots and set out the entire pot when the soil is warm. Don’t let the plants dry out. Having learned the hard way, I make sure they are well-watered.
Conclusion
In our zone, Labor Day is a good time to begin harvesting the great dwarf and crested cockscomb flower heads for drying purposes.
Cut them close to the ground, pick off all the foliage, shake out the seeds, and hang them by their stems in a cool, dark place to dry.
I’ve hung them in bunches and separately and had equally good luck both ways. The same treatment goes for the tall plume types.
Image:
Red Celosia Toreador (background) and white Paleface petunia (foreground) create an interesting contrast in color and flower form.
44659 by Karen F. Zimmerer