Horticulture Magazine

Celosia ‘Woolflower’

pink, orange and yellow flowering celosia plants with green ovate leaves growing in rows
By ELIZABETH WADDINGTON

Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.

/ Updated December 5th, 2023
Reviewed By ROY NICOL

Roy is a Professional Gardener and Horticultural Consultant, specialising in large garden year-round maintenance and garden development. He is an RHS Master of Horticulture and uses his research in the application of no-dig methods in ornamental garden settings. Roy has been a Professional Gardener for more than six years and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, Professional Gardener's Guild and Association of Professional Landscapers (Professional Gardener).

/ Meets Our Editorial Guidelines
Contributions From EMILY CUPIT
Emily Cupit, Photographer & Videographer

Emily is a Gardening Writer, Photographer and Videographer from Derbyshire, UK. She is the Founder of Emily's Green Diary - a community of more than 75,000 people who share in her gardening journey.

Celosias are flowers that people tend to either love or loathe, due to their rather unusual flowers and distinctive appearance.

They are intriguing and dramatic ornamentals that can create quite a show in a summer garden or as houseplants indoors.

Read on to discover all you need to know about this delightful summer-flowering annual.

Overview

Botanical NameCelosia
Common Name(s)Woolflower
Plant TypeAnnual
Native AreaCentral & South America, Africa, Arabian Peninsula
Hardiness RatingH2
FoliageDeciduous
FlowersLarge plume-like inflorescences or ‘cockscombs’ in many hues
When To PlantMay to July
Sunlight

Preferred
Full Sun

Exposure
Sheltered

Size

Height
0.1 – 1M

Spread
0.1 – 0.5M

Bloom Time
Summer

Soil

Preferred
Chalk, loam, sand

Moisture
Moist but well-drained

pH
Any

A tender, herbaceous annual plant hailing from tropical climes, Celosia argentea is one of a small number of species within the Celosia genus.

celosias with green leaves and spires of frilly red, orange, yellow and pink flowers growing outdoors

In the UK, we tend to think of this as an ornamental flower, but since it has edible potential, it could be an interesting choice not only for flower beds and borders in summer, or for containers, but also for a food-producing garden.1Celosia (Celosia argentea). (n.d.). World Vegetable Center. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://avrdc.org/celosia-celosia-argentea/

“The young plant produces spinach-tasting leaves before flowering, however, after this time, they taste bitter,” explains Master Horticulturist Roy Nicol.2Celosia. (n.d.). UMN Extension. Retrieved May 10, 2023, from https://extension.umn.edu/flowers/celosia

The plant is believed to have originated in tropical Africa, though it has now spread throughout many tropical and subtropical regions.

Common Varieties

Some common celosia varieties grown in the UK include:

close-up of the unique frilly, purple, flowering head of a Celosia argentea var. cristata plant

Celosia argentea var. cristata (Plumosa Group), with named cultivars including:

‘Dragon’s Breath’ (AGM)
red flowering plumes of Celosia argentea 'Dragon's Breath'
‘Fresh Look Orange’ (AGM)
orange flowers of Celosia 'Fresh Look Orange' growing in a floriferous garden landscape

While ‘Century Rose’ (AGM) and ‘Glow Red’ (AGM) are two other popular cultivars.

Celosia argentea (Spicata Group) is yet another popular choice:

‘Flamingo Feather’ (AGM)
'Flamingo Feather' variety of woolflower with fluffy upright flowers in pink and white

There are, of course, plenty of other named cultivars to choose from, including dwarf varieties and yellow varieties, amongst many more.

How To Grow Celosia

Celosia is in some ways a relatively easy plant to grow.

It can be grown indoors or outdoors in containers, or outside in your garden as long as it is provided with a suitable spot.

Propagating

Celosia can be grown from seed, which you should sow indoors in early spring.

However, should you wish to grow celosia from seed, you are likely to require a heated propagator, as a temperature between 20-25°C is required for germination.

The seeds should ideally be sown into individual, biodegradable plant pots, soil blocks, or toilet roll tubes so you can plant these out into your garden easily without disturbing the roots.

celosia seedlings bearing small green leaves growing in individual sacks of compost

Fill your biodegradable pots or make soil blocks with moist, seed-starting compost mixed with perlite or an equivalent to a ratio of around 2:1.

Place your seeds on the surface of this, then cover them lightly with a thin layer of this mix.

Grow your seedlings indoors before hardening them off and planting them out in your garden (if you are growing outside) in early summer.

If you decide to forgo this step, you can also purchase pot-grown celosias in early summer from a plant nursery or garden centre.

Ongoing Celosia Care

The most important thing to remember when caring for celosias is that these plants hail from tropical climes, so they do require additional care to make sure that they receive the right growing conditions to succeed in the UK.

Overwintering

Celosia are H2 hardy.

This means that they can cope with cold temperatures, but will not survive temperatures that dip below 1°C.

overhead view of pink and white flowering celosia plants in a mulched garden bed

They can typically survive outdoors in the British summer in the right spot, but won’t during the winter here in the UK.

For them to grow successfully, it is very important to make sure that celosias have a position in full sun that is sheltered from harsh winds.

A west or south-facing aspect is often ideal.

Preferred Soil

When growing in the soil in a garden, celosias will do well in chalk, loam or sand.

They require moist but well-drained conditions, so you should avoid growing them in heavy clay or soil with a tendency to become waterlogged.

gardener planting a young celosia plant into a newly dug hole

When it comes to soil pH, these plants are far less fussy and will tolerate acidic, neutral or alkaline soils.

The most important thing is good drainage, so aim to ensure that waterlogging and overly-damp conditions are avoided.

Watering & Feeding

Celosias do not like the soil or growing medium to dry out entirely, so, whilst you should keep the soil or potting mix moist, you should take care not to overwater.

orange flowering spires from a celosia plant growing outdoors in front of a blurred background

While the plants are in flower, especially if you are growing your plants in containers, it is best to feed your celosias with an organic liquid plant feed rich in potassium every couple of weeks or so.

Deadheading

Though not essential, you can cut off faded flowers to keep the plant tidy and encourage the formation of further blooms.

However, it is worth noting that the flowers might actually be harvested before this stage since these blooms have absolutely wonderful cut flowers.

Once dried, these blooms will keep their colour for at least half a year or so.

Common Problems

The most common problems encountered when growing celosias relate to poor drainage or temperatures that are not sufficiently warm.

Try to make sure that the plant does not experience temperatures below 5°C, and certainly not below 1°C, and take care to ensure good drainage and watering.

Poor drainage or over-watering can lead to yellowing leaves and rotting stems and wilting.

a celosia plant that has started to wilt and turn brown

Sadly, once plants wilt they are unlikely to recover.

When growing celosia indoors, you are more likely to encounter pest problems.

Look out for whitefly in particular when growing these plants inside.

FAQs

Will Celosia Come Back Each Year?

Celosias are annual plants so will have to be sown or purchased anew each spring.

How Long Do These Plants Last?

Celosia plants that are purchased in early summer will typically bloom for 10 weeks or so and will survive up until the first frosts.

Once flowering is finished, you can simply add the plants to your composting system.

Does Woolflowers Self-Seed?

Celosia can self-seed prolifically in warmer climates.

However, while it may occasionally self-seed in the British Isles, this is not as common in the UK as it can be elsewhere.

However, if you keep your celosia in an ideal position in your garden and let them go to seed, you may be rewarded with more plants popping up without the need to sow more the following season.

References

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