This flower is going to go up in flames, metaphorically speaking of course.

This is Celosia ‘Flamma Orange’ and I grew it from seeds sent to my by the National Garden Bureau. It’s an All-America Selections Winner for 2022 and 2023 is The Year of Celosia.

The reason I say this flower is going to go up in flames is because first, look at that color. Does that not look like a flame?

And second, see all those flower buds in the leaf axils? Before I can say “grab the marshmallows” they are going to be blooming too and the whole plant is going to look like it went up in flames, metaphorically speaking.

Did I mention I grew these from seeds?

Oh I did? Good. I wanted you to know that it wasn’t too challenging to grow them from seeds. I ended up with 12 or so seedlings. I gave one to my sister and planted the rest in a container.

Did you know some people think celosia is a perennial? It’s not. It’s an annual. I wrote an article for Family Handyman to answer that question, “Is Celosia a Perennial?” Then I wrote an article for them about how to grow and care for celosia.

I’ll admit that when I’m shopping for seeds or buying annuals in the spring, celosias aren’t the first flowers that jump into my cart, if they even do.

But now that I’ve seen ‘Flamma Orange’ and now how easy it is to grow, I’m probably going to seek out some more celosias to grow next year.

Oh, one last thing I want to mention. Often to get an annual flower to branch out and produce more flowers, we pinch off the top bud. I did no pinching on these celosias. They are growing all those flowers on their own.

So get out the marshmallows and put these flowers on your list for next year, they are hot!