Growing Globe Amarant: Tips at a Glance
Globe amaranth is on the list of florists' favorite dried flowers, with its papery pink and purple blooms. Gomphrena also is a valuable low-growing front-of-the-border flower, performing throughout the summer season. Pinch back spent blossoms to encourage rounded clumps of foliage to develop.
- Type Herbaceous flower
- Lifespan Annual, tender perennial
- USDA Zones 7-10
- Light Sun
- Soil Well drained
- When to Plant Sow indoors in spring
- Design Tip Dried bouquets
- Companions Lantana, dahlias
- Peak Season Summer flowers
Globe Amaranth: A Field Guide
With stiff, papery blooms, globe amaranth is a long-lasting cut flower as well as a dependable flowering annual for the front of the border.
Gomphrena typically has bright purple or pink flower bracts (although white, orange, and yellow cultivars are available) and will make excellent dried flower bouquets; cut it as soon as it blooms and hang it upside down to dry. See ideas for floral arrangements in Chic Techniques: 10 Ideas to Steal from a Parisian Florist.
In the garden, globe amaranth It will be happiest at home in a sunny spot edging a path, where it will grow to heights of from 1 to 3 feet (G. globosa is more compact than lankier G. haageana).
Tip: “Shorter varieties of Gomphrena work well in containers while taller, airier cultivars look great in borders,” writes our contributor Jeanne Rostaing. Companion plants include Zinnias, Salvias, and Dahlias.
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