Celsia’s bright balls of fire turns heads

If you want a lively injection of colour into your garden this summer, look no further than celosia. Celosia has bright flowers that make attractive garden borders, and also lovely cut arrangements.

With its flame-like heads, celosia looks like little balls of fire in the garden. It’s a small annual, that grows to around 30cm tall. Large waxy green leaves frame celosia’s spectacular flowers, which bloom in vibrant yellow, orange and reds.

What I like about celosia is that it looks amazing (like a field of fire) when planted en mass. Also, it’s a really easy flower to plant and requires minimal care.

If your garden is already short of garden space, celosia also looks very pretty in pots. Technically celosia is an annual (meaning they’ll only last one season), but it can survive more than one season if grown in a warmer climate. Bring your pots inside when it starts to cool off, and you may be rewarded again next spring.

At Awapuni Nurseries we have two types of celosia seedlings to choose from. The cockscomb variety gets its name because its flowers look like the head of a rooster. Its blooms are rather stiff and waxy and they last longer than most flowers — both on the plant and in a vase.

Their firmness also makes them great candidates for dried flowers or for a bouquet. And the stems on a celosia are the same colour as the bloom, which makes for a visual treat.

Kimono mix is the second variety of celosia available — and brand-new to the nursery this season. Its flowers are bright and truly do look like little balls of fire in your garden, with feather-shaped petals.

You can grab your celosia seedlings from the Awapuni Nurseries online shop and have them delivered direct to your door. We guarantee satisfaction, and if you’re not completely happy with your plants we will replace them.

To plant them, first find a sunny well-drained spot in the garden. Dig in some good general fertiliser to give your plants the best possible start. Plant the seedlings in holes 3cm deep, about 20cm apart. Give them a good initial watering, and then afterwards water every few days.

I recommend planting them with other annuals such as marigolds, zinnias and asters, for some fun coloured variety in your flower garden.

Celosia is fairly drought resistant, so if you head away over summer for a few days, your plants will still be okay as long as you give them a big morning water before you leave. Give them a monthly feed of general fertiliser to encourage longer flowering.

Because the flowers are so hardy, your celosia will hold on to its blooms until they have dried on the plant. So, I recommend deadheading them to encourage new flowers to come through.

And, if you look after your celosias, their flaming blooms will reward you for a good couple of months.