Description: Magnificent edible ornamental, featuring large plumes of multi-coloured flowers followed by edible grains. Young leaves are edible, enjoyed like spinach fresh, stemmed or lightly sautéed. If you don't harvest the seeds this is a perfect "living" bird feeder plant!
Organically Grown/ Heirloom/ Open Pollinated/ Non-GMO
Pack Size: ~ 120 seeds
Latin Name: Amaranthus sp.
Alternative Names:
Main Uses: Ornamental, Culinary
Zone Hardiness: Annual (reseeding) Matures 45 days for leaf or 10 days for grain
Exposure: Full sun
Height: 30 - 120 cm (1 - 4 feet, depending on soil fertility)
Flower Color: Bi-colour cinnamon-gold and pink
Flowering Time: Summer
Seed Source: Organically grown
Germination: 7 - 14 days at 21°C.
Sowing: Indoors 4 - 6 weeks before last frost. 2 - 3 seeds per cell. For best results, apply Sea Magic™ kelp from first watering. Apply a seedling-starter fertilizer such as Evolve Seedling once the second set of true leaves has appeared, and then alternate between the kelp and seedling starter until transplant. Not well-suited for direct-seeding outdoors.
Planting depth: Lightly cover.
Planting Out: Plant in well-drained fertile soil (garden or container) once seedling are established and risk of frost has passed.
Notes: Tolerates poor soils.
Growing in Containers: Not well-suited to containers due to size.
Fertilizing (Garden): Plant in a garden bed amended with compost. No additional fertilizer is required.
Watering (Garden): Water deeply to establish. Water mature plants weekly during hot weather.
Garden Companions: Plant with sweet corn. The leaves of Love-Lies-Bleeding provide shade giving the corn a rich, moist root run. Host to predatory ground beetles. Young leaves are edible.
Special Requirements for Cold Climate Gardeners: May require staking.
Suitability for Indoors: Not suited for indoors.
