Blooms form narrowly, drooping tassel-like, terminal panicles throughout the growing season.
Its ideal conditions are moist, acidic soil and temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
It is gluten-free.Everlasting flowers retain their color and can be dried and included in attractive arrangements.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Soil
Grow love-lies-bleeding in mildly acidic soil of a pH between 5.5 to 6.5.
Any light (sandy), medium (loamy), or heavy (clay) soil will do.
If fertilizing the plant, use only organicfertilizer.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Water
This fairly drought-resistant plant still benefits from good watering practice.
Seeds require balanced moisture levels.
Then, until seedlings are established and growing actively, they still require evenly moist soil.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Once established, the love-lies-bleeding plant needs little attention.
Temperature and Humidity
Plants are not frost-hardy.
The most cold-tolerant Amaranthus cultivars can tolerate temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Spruce / Marie Iannotti
It may last as a perennial in areas with no frost.
Love-lies-bleeding is sensitive to the length of the day and does not perform well in northern latitudes.
Germination happens quickly in warm soil.
Justus de Cuveland / Getty Images
Fertilizer
Fertilizers are not necessary for love-lies-bleeding.
If you have poor soil, useorganic fertilizeroptions like fish emulsion, worm castings, or compost.
Types of Love-Lies-Bleeding
TheAmaranthusgenus has at least 60 annual and perennialspeciesthat easily cross-breed and hybridize.
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Love-lies-bleeding foliage often comes in an attractive pale green.
The love-lies-bleeding Amaranthus cultivar ‘Tricolor’ has multi-colored foliage and is sometimes called ‘Joseph’s Coat.
‘‘Viridis’ and ‘Green Thumb’ cultivars have green tassels.
Remove damaged or diseased leaves, stems, or flowers with clean shears.
Propagating Love-Lies-Bleeding
To make more plants, you’re able to sow seeds orroot cuttings.
Growing from seed is fast; it averages about 60 to 110 days from sowing to harvest.
However, amaranth plants have long roots, so larger containers are best.
Love-lies-bleeding grows smaller in containers, so expect it to grow about 3 feet tall.
It which will do best in a large, heavy container like a 10-gallon container.
Since it only lives one growing season, it will not need repotting.
Use well-draining potting soil and see to it the container has ample drainage holes.
Overwintering
Love-lies-bleeding is an annual plant and will die with frost and cold temperatures.
Remove the pests with steady streams of water, insecticidal soap, or neem oil.
you might also handpick beetles, snails, and slugs.
Beware ofroot rotin poorly drained soils and fungal leaf spot diseases.
These are best prevented by providing good air circulation and watering at the soil line versus overhead watering.
Bloom Months
Love-lies-bleeding generally begins blooming in July.
How Long Does Love-Lies-Bleeding Bloom?
Love-lies-bleeding blooms last from mid-summer until first frost.
What Do Love-Lies-Bleeding Flowers Look and Smell Like?
Love-lies-bleeding flowers produce long, deeply colored red, purple, golden, and green floral panicles or ropes.
They have no discernible scent.
Common Problems With Love-Lies-Bleeding
Love-lies-bleeding is an easy-to-grow, low-maintenance plant with very few issues or problems.
Plant Not Growing
Love-lies-bleeding grows slowly at first.
It germinates quickly but then slows down.
By the time the plant reaches one foot, growth speeds up.
Wilting
An established love-lies-bleeding plant is drought tolerant but still requires water.
Welcome love-lies-bleeding to garden beds or borders to add a distinct, eye-catching aesthetic.
Since it is an especially large annual, it may require staking.
If there is no space for love-lies-bleeding in the ground, plant it in containers or hanging baskets.
Flowers will attract butterflies and other pollinators.
Love-lies-bleeding only returns the following year if the seed left behind by the previous season germinates.
Otherwise, it is an annual, meaning it lives one growing season and dies with the first frost.
Amaranth is commonly used in animal feed for cattle, chickens, pigs, and rabbits.
The flowers are also popular with pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Texas Master Gardener: Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service.
2021; 11(15):6879. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11156879
