Cockscomb & Celosia

Beautiful flowers make lovely tea and pink lemonade! An award-winning spiked magenta celosia from Murakami Seed Company in Japan. This well-branched celosia is a total pollinator magnet, all abuzz with an abundance of bees and other beneficials. This all-purpose celosia is great for cutting, garden design, mixed planters and more. It received the prestigious All America Selection Award in 2017, noted by judges for its early blooming, good branching and bushy habit.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 days
• Ideal Temperature: 65-95 Degrees F
• Seed Depth: 1/8”
• Plant Spacing: 6-8”
• Frost Hardy: No
• Celosia argentea  

Growing Tips: Start indoors 3-4 weeks before transplanting out after last frost, or sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun. 

Brilliant blooms look like colorful tufts of yarn, setting landscapes and floral arrangements ablaze! This 2-3-foot-tall variety was a major standout in our trial gardens and is our new favorite flower! Baker Creek is delighted to reintroduce an all but forgotten edible ornamental and what we have found to be the most delicious flowering vegetable we have ever eaten! The fluffy and colorful heads of this amaranth family member are wildly colorful and make a bold everlasting flower for fresh or dried arrangements. What sets this apart as a truly remarkable edible ornamental is the delicate and gourmet flavor. The young leaves are a perfect spinach substitute. In the Baker Creek trial kitchen, we have tried it tempura style, stir fried, added to soups, lasagna and pizza; the possibilities are endless! The greens are incredibly nutritious as well. They are a good source of vitamins A & C as well as calcium, iron, and other nutrients. Baker Creek founder Jere Gettle was intrigued when he saw advertisements for the Chinese wool flower in seed catalogs dating back to 1915. He had never seen the plants in real life, and upon researching, he realized they were no longer available anywhere in the U.S! We took our search abroad and finally tracked down a single seed packet in Japan. We are thrilled to finally be able to offer it to the public!

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
• Ideal Temperature: 65-70 F
• Plant Spacing: 6-8"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Celosia argentea

A beautifully crested cockscomb type celosia in a stunning hot magenta color. Plants stand 3 to 4 feet tall and the vibrant heads measure up to half a foot across! Try this eye- catching variety in the cottage garden, cutting garden, containers, beds and borders.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 65-95 F
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
• Plant Spacing: 6-8"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Celosia argentea

Growing Tips: Start indoors 3-4 weeks before transplanting out after last frost, or sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun. 

85 days. Prepare to be enraptured with this fruity mix, it is resplendent in beauty! This dazzling mix of colors reminds us of a fruit bowl, blooms come in blood orange, Meyer lemon, raspberry and tangerine tones. Heads are feathery and fluffy, referred to as fusagaito in Japanese. The 2-2.5 foot tall plants are excellent for beds, borders, containers and cut flower use! The celosia is believed to have been introduced to Japan in the 8th century, there the young leaves have been used as an edible green, the colorful heads have been rendered into a beautiful natural dye and the plants were also traditionally burned in the home to deter mice from entering the home. We love this brilliant fruity mix!

• 8-12 hours of Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 65-70 F
  
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
  
• Plant Spacing: 8-12"
  
• Frost Hardy: No
  
• Celosia argentea
  

Growing Tips: Start indoors 3-4 weeks before transplanting out after last frost, or sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun.

90-100 days. Soft pink spikes sway gracefully atop tall, slender stems, making this the most elegant celosia. This reliable and uniform variety stands 24-40 inches tall and is perfect for fine gardening and cut flower growing. The dainty spikes in plush pink tones makes for a perfect wedding flower or a soothing element in landscapes.

• 8-12 hours of Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 65-70 F
  
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
  
• Plant Spacing: 12"
  
• Frost Hardy: No
  
• Celosia argentea spicata
  

Growing Tips: Start indoors 3-4 weeks before transplanting out after last frost, or sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun.

(Celosia argentea cristata) 90-110 days. A minty green, early-maturing cockscomb celosia from Japan. Medium stem length, excellent for arranging. Bring a new and eye-catching velvety texture to the landscape or cutting garden.

• Sun: 8-12 hrs
• Sprouts in 14-21 days
• Seed Depth: 1/8 inch
• Ideal Temperature: 65-95 F
• Plant Spacing: 6-8” apart
• Frost Hardy: NO
• Celosia argentea cristata

Growing Tips: Start indoors 3-4 weeks before transplanting out after last frost, or sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun.

(C. argentea plumosa) 90 days. Feather light, chartreuse plumes have the ethereal effect of an air spirit floating about the garden! Plants reach 30 to 40 inches tall and are perfectly suited to the cutting garden as well as the landscape. A rare beauty from Japan.

This red-tinged Japanese variety is totally gorgeous from leaf to flower! The burgundy foliage and stems are offset by the most striking vermillion heads, making it a bold choice for beds, borders, containers, and more. The plants stand 2 to 2.5 feet tall with multiple branches that produce heads ranging in size from small pokers to tightly ruffled fist-sized crests or cockscombs. With its sturdy, multibranching habit, this versatile type is great for arrangements, and it also makes a deep crimson-colored herbal tea.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 65-95 F
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
• Plant Spacing: 6-8"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Celosia argentea

Growing Tips: Start indoors 3-4 weeks before transplanting out after last frost, or sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun. 

Annual. Jere Gettle received seeds of this amazing, mammoth variety from an Amish family while traveling in Indiana around 2004. The deep crimson, tightly curled heads can reach to 14" across! A perfect choice for cutting gardens, landscaping, and county fair displays.

• Annual
• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
• Ideal Temperature: 60-95 F
• Plant Spacing: 14"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Celosia argentea

Growing Tips: Sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun.

90 days. A highly dramatic dwarf cockscomb, these mammoth, intricately folded heads come in a rainbow of colors and sit just 14 inches high. A rich mix of crimson, canary yellow, tangerine, magenta, and cerise. This astounding variety is short and stocky, just over 1 foot tall, but with massive heads reaching to 16 inches across! This is a perfect bedding, container or border plant, an easy to grow annual with fantastic eye appeal.

• 8-12 hours of Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 65-70 F
  
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
  
• Plant Spacing: 14"
  
• Frost Hardy: No
  
• Celosia cristata
  

Growing Tips: Start indoors 3-4 weeks before transplanting out after last frost, or sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun.

(Celosia argentea) 90 days. Also known as Lagos Spinach, this celosia is a super heat-tolerant and tasty green popular in many African countries, particularly Nigeria and Ghana. The leaves are a popular ingredient in soups and stews. Plants can be pinched back to remain tidy; left unpruned, the plants can reach over 6 feet tall. The tasty, nutritious leaves are high in protein. When cooked, this versatile and rugged leafy green is the perfect addition to your permaculture landscape or any garden needing a heat- and drought-tolerant leafy green for summer. Thanks to our friend Solomon Amuzu for introducing this amazing selection. (greens should be consumed cooked and not raw)

Annual. Beautiful orange color on short plants! These can produce large heads that sometimes reach 8-12" across, although this varies. A perfect bedding plant that adds vibrant orange color to any garden. Even the smallest spaces can fit in a few of these.

• Annual
• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
• Ideal Temperature: 60-95 F
• Plant Spacing: 10"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Celosia argentea cristata

Growing Tips: Sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun.

This super-compact dwarf cockscomb features massive, lipstick-red crests. The tidy, busy plants average just 6 inches tall and bear impressive tightly woven and wrinkled heads, about 8 inches (or more) across. This is the perfect bedding cockscomb, but it is also ideal in pots, window boxes and other compact spaces. It looks stunning planted en masse or in the foreground of a mixed planting. The edible flowers make a lovely tea.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 60-95 F
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
• Plant Spacing: 6-8"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Celosia cristata

Growing Tips: Sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun. 

85 days. (Celosia plumosa) These feathery celosia come in a stunning mix of fruity tones, from raspberry to lemon, tangerine, and cherry. The extra-dwarf plants reach 8 to 10 inches tall and 6 to 8 inches wide. Tuck these tidy plants into pots, beds, and borders. One of the most care-free flowers, they are both heat and drought tolerant.

• Sun: 8-12 hrs
• Sprouts in 14-21 days
• Seed Depth: 1/8 inch
• Ideal Temperature: 65-95 F
• Plant Spacing: 6-8” apart
• Frost Hardy: NO
• Celosia plumosa

Growing Tips: Start indoors 3-4 weeks before transplanting out after last frost, or sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun.

90-100 days. Fractal patterned flowers shimmer in a range of sherbet tones. This is by far the most groovy celosia we have seen. The intricately pointed heads range from tangerine to apricot and strawberry. Plants reach 18-30 inches tall, making them an excellent choice for landscaping, bedding, container design or cut flower use.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 65-95 F
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
• Plant Spacing: 6-8"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Celosia plumosa

Growing Tips: Start indoors 3-4 weeks before transplanting out after last frost, or sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun. 

Annual. Massive 8-12 inch magenta heads teeter atop tall plants with lush foliage. The large dense combs have brilliant garnet and violet tones that shimmer in the back border or as a large focal point in arrangements. With dwarf varieties dominating the market in recent years, it can be difficult to find tall varieties. Tornado Red proudly stands 2 feet tall and will bloom from late spring until fall frost. A stunning variety that holds its rich, crushed velvet color when cut.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
• Ideal Temperature: 60-95 F
• Plant Spacing: 10"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Celosia argentea

Growing Tips: Sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun.

Annual. This fabulously novel variegated cockscomb from antiquity has been brought back from obscurity! This variety was described as a beautiful and unusual floral oddity in The Country Gentleman’s Magazine, a British periodical from 1874. It was offered by several catalogs of that era, and it is still a favorite in our garden today, as the dueling tones are a playful riot of color. Alien-like combs sit atop three-foot tall plants. We expect this one-of-a-kind weirdo to be warmly embraced by gardeners and floral designers! Lovely 4-6-inch flowers are a joy! Note: variegation varies a lot from plant to plant.

• Full Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
• Ideal Temperature: 60-95 F
• Plant Spacing: 10"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Celosia cristata

Growing Tips: Sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun.

(C. plumosa) 85-95 days. The feathery scarlet heads of this celosia are simply stunning! The impressive, vibrant heads are well supported on sturdy stems 3 feet tall. A favorite Japanese cut flower.

(C. plumosa) 85-95 days. The magnificent, carmine colored, feathery heads of this celosia are just incredible! The vibrant, impressive heads are well supported on sturdy plants standing 3 feet tall. From Japan.

(C. plumosa) This Japanese beauty produces sunny yellow, celosia heads, that are dense and colorful. The impressive, vibrant heads are well supported by sturdy plants standing 3 to 4 feet tall.

(Celosia argentea cristata) 90-110 days. Sunny, lemony-colored heads of a uniquely rounded shape. This easy-to-grow beginner’s flower reaches 24 to 40 inches tall. Yellow Queen is a “Kurume Type,” so called for the area where it has been most prominently bred. Kurume City is on the west side of Kyushu Island.

• Sun: 8-12 hrs
• Sprouts in 14-21 days
• Seed Depth: 1/8 inch
• Ideal Temperature: 65-95 F
• Plant Spacing: 6-8” apart
• Frost Hardy: NO
• Celosia argentea cristata

Growing Tips: Start indoors 3-4 weeks before transplanting out after last frost, or sow seeds in place after frost. Cover lightly in fine, moist soil, and keep warm until germination. Grow plants in full sun.