Celosia for a full sun garden and vibrant colors...

About the Celosia Pumosa 'Smart Look Red'

Try Planting the Celosia annual bedding plant for full sun gardens and for its vibrant colors of orange, yellows and red.

Sometimes called the Cockscomb, this annnual can be difficult to 'get going' in my Manitoba flowerbed garden. But like a true gardener and because I just love the vibrant colors, I plant this tender annual every year.

How To Grow The Celosia Annual Bedding Plant

Our spring in Manitoba can be rather chilly and this annual plant is not a lover of cold weather, especially cold nights when the temperature dips down to 1 Celsius or 34 Fahrenheit and that's in late May and early June. ...and they are not frost tolerant. Needless to say, the Celosia is a warm climate annual.

A true sun lover, the Celosia does not grow well in shade, however on the plus side, it really does not care about soil type.

After having said the above, my husband Jim just loves the vibrant hues of orange, yellows and reds plumes planted in mass...I must agree...it is a sight of dramatic color and texture. The image above shows the various colors available. I planted the Smart Look Red series in my flowerbed garden but there are many additional colors ranging from creams, oranges, yellows, reds and purples.

As shown in the image above (taken from my flowerbed garden July 28, 2009), there is also the variety of Celosia with red plumes and burgundy foliage.

Once established, the velvety soft plumes (either tall stalks or fan-like plumes) withstand wind and rain and always look perfect. No need to deadhead. This plant is virtually maintenance free. I like that.

The Look Series grow to about 14" tall and when mature can have 3 plume stalks sprouting out from the main stem. Use this series for mass plantings.

The coloring of the Celosia stays constant and makes a great dried flower plant...keeping its color.

The dwarf Kimono Series (with 2.5" plumes) grow to 8" tall and offer colors in salmon Pink, yellow, red and cream in mixed containers. Use the dwarf for edging or borders and for container planting. Check out My Garden Soil Page for a soil-less recipe mix for container gardening.

Great companion plants are: Marigolds, Ageratum Blue Hawaii, Ajuga Perennial, Dianthus Perennial, Nicotiana short variety or the Bidens annual for in a container.

Check out my Site Index Page for a listing of additional annuals and perennials to plant in your flower garden design.

Celosia Features:

• grows in poorer soils but grows much better in a soil amended with organic matter
• bushy plant with brilliant flower plumes
• makes a great dried flower
• do not allow to dry out
• is susceptible to stem rot if kept standing in water so plant in well drained soil
• the Smart Look Red grows 8" tall. Most grow 12" to 14" tall
• mix it up, don't plant them in soldier lines...they look silly planted like that
• can be planted in container along with other complimentary plants such as asparagus fern
• blooms all summer long

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