globe amaranth

Children love to pluck the cheerful flowering globes of gomphrena in the garden, as the spiky puffs have that tactile appeal. Butterflies are also drawn to the purple, pink, or red flowers of the globe amaranth, but deer tend to pass them by. Globe amaranth flowers are excellent candidates for drying, but they’re just as nice from the cutting garden for fresh flower arrangements. Don’t be surprised if you find that the cut flowers have started to root in the vase when you discard your flower arrangement; that’s how easy these plants are to grow.

Gomphrena globosa

Common Name:

Globe Amaranth

Zone:

An annual in frost-free zones, but grows best in areas with hot summers.

Size:

Height: one to three feetWidth: one foot

Exposure:

Globe amaranth grows best in full sun to partial shade. Too much shade reduces blooming and makes plants lanky.

Bloom Period:

Early summer to frost

Gomphrena grows well in average garden soil to slightly sandy soil. Plants still bloom in heavy clay but height may be somewhat stunted. Globe amaranth tolerates wet or dry conditions, but don’t plant in areas with standing water.

You can start globe amaranth from seed, but the plants take about eight weeks from seed to flower, so start seeds indoors in late winter for earliest blooms. It’s easy to collect seed from globe amaranth flowers at the end of the growing season; you can find a seed at the base of each petal.