PlantFiles: Cockscomb (Cristata Group)
Celosia argentea var. cristata

I love these! So easy to grow from seed and they carry such charm!

Celosias are an annual that I've grown for quite a few years. My current celosias are an unnamed cockscomb type variety that reseeds freely for me. Before this bunch, I had only grown the shorter, more compact types (12" or so). These are all pushing 6' and well branched when happy. I have no idea what cultivars they come from. My husband brought them home from the ag department at his school. They were a few of the sole survivors after the greenhouse's vents malfunctioned and it overheated. They were thin and scraggly, but once planted took off. As they kept getting taller, I kept cutting them back severely, hoping to keep them short. It was in vain. They developed massive bases and large cockscombs in magenta or yellow, as well as side branches that also bloomed. I now keep them at the back of the bed due to their height. When I cut them down in the winter, I do not remove the heads, but let them remain. By July I have volunteers. I have been weeding out the yellows, whites, and faded pinks and keeping the tallest of the saturated magentas and magenta over oranges for the past few years.

Whatever variety you have, these annuals are worthy of a spot in a sunny garden.

Celosia - Cockscomb, Chinese Woodflower
This genus of erect annuals, perennials and shrubs in the amaranthus family contains 50 or more species from warmer parts of Asia, Africa and the Americas, but only one (Celosia argentea) is widely cultivated as a bedding annual and for cut flowers. It has evolved in cultivation into several different forms, hardly recognizable as belonging to the one species. It has simple, soft, strongly veined leaves; the variation is almost wholly in the structure of the heads of the small flowers, which have undergone proliferation and deformation in the two major cultivated races.
Cultivation: In cool climates celosias are treated as conservatory plants, or planted out for summer bedding after raising seedlings under glass in spring. They are better adapted to hot climates, withstanding the fiercest summer heat. They require full sun, rich, well-drained soil and constant moisture. Propagate from seed in spring.
Celosia argentea - Celosia cristata - Celosia pyramidalis
Probably native to tropical Asia, this erect, summer-flowering annual can reach 3' or more in height. The leaves are mid-green; the silvery white flowers appear in summer in dense, erect, pointed spikes with a silvery sheen. The species is best known in the guise of two strikingly different cultivar groups, which in turn are hardly recognizable as belonging to the species. These are the Plumosa Group, with erect, plume-like heads of tiny deformed flowers in a range of hot colors, and the Cristata Group (cockscombs), with bizarre wavy crests of fused flower stalks also in many colors. Both have been developed in cultivation with a range of seedling strains, differing in height as well as size and the color of the flowerheads. The Plumosa Group in particular are favored for cut flowers and sale in pots for indoor decoration. Some dwarf strains are not more than 6" tall, while the old-fashioned bedding strains are abount 24". Most strains are sold as mixed colors.
Zones 10-12.

We got seeds from a huge bloom a woman from Peru gave us. I planted a hand full of them in early spring and 4 months later they are almost 5' tall and the blooms are bigger than my hand and still growing. They love the sun and seem to be resistant to many of the problems we have with our clay soil.

Light aids germination of seeds.

I've grown this plant from seed for two years and it's still thriving. I will continue to grow it again next year, maybe in a different color.

I have started plants from seeds in my basement for last 2 years and transplanted outside the first of June. Produces a very pretty leaf that looks good enough to eat and the most beautiful flower I have ever seen.

These popular annuals deliver long-lasting color in the garden. They also make striking additions to fresh or dried arrangements. Several varieties exist.