PlantFiles: Cockscomb, Plume Plant, Feathered Amaranth
Celosia argentea var. plumosa 'Century Mixed'

Celosia is one of my favorite annual flowers since it comes in so many different colors and varieties. The century mix is often much larger than the Kimono mix.

The flowerheads last for an long time. Some have lasted for 10 weeks or more. New blooms will consistently split off until fall. Some people have suggested deadheading, and I guess it would work, but the flowers last so long, I rarely do.

Little black seeds form and are very easy to collect. I cut off the flowerheads once they had finally died and just saved them in a bag. Shaking will help to collect the seeds. The flowers could also just be left in the ground, and the seeds will usually pop up. I live in Michigan near Lake Huron, so it is frequently very humid. Once temperatures finally get warmer, the seeds will germinate (beginning of June here?), and then bloom in mid-July. I also started some of the seeds indoors 8 weeks earlier. Some of the seedlings died, but the few that I did plant outside have grown to 2 feet. It's an annual that will stay with you every year, and they last even in the hottest of temperatures.