Brilliantly Colored Annual Loves Heat

Celosia, more commonly known as cockscomb because of its plume like flowers, loves heat and fills the garden with brilliantly colored flowers in shades of pink, orange, red, crimson or gold.

The annual does best in areas around the state that have hot summers, including the desert. Gardeners should continue planting them massed together for a real “shock” effect from their intense flower color.

Celosia can be found in dwarf and more compact varieties reaching 1 foot tall. Along with the plume-type flower, there are the crested cockscombs that have a velvety fan shape, which blooms in yellow, orange, crimson, purple and red. This variety (C. cristata) grows to 3 feet with its dwarf varieties up to 10 inches.