“Strawberry Fields” Gomphrena
These gomphrena are the happiest little red gumdrops. The trickiest part of growing them is getting them started. Once they get going, they are drought tolerant, trouble-free, and this globe amaranth is even edible! Grow them for cut flowers, dried flowers, or for pockets of bright red color in the landscape. Every packet of seeds includes a few dried flower heads from JMJ’s own garden so you can see how the seeds form and scatter those as well. Great for teaching little ones.
JOY MAX QUALITIES:
Heat and drought-tolerant but water regularly for cutest results
Pest-free but beloved by pollinators
Excellent cut flower for fresh bouquets or dried arrangements
Looks incredible planted en masse at the front of your border or along a path
Open-pollinated
These gomphrena are the happiest little red gumdrops. The trickiest part of growing them is getting them started. Once they get going, they are drought tolerant, trouble-free, and this globe amaranth is even edible! Grow them for cut flowers, dried flowers, or for pockets of bright red color in the landscape. Every packet of seeds includes a few dried flower heads from JMJ’s own garden so you can see how the seeds form and scatter those as well. Great for teaching little ones.
JOY MAX QUALITIES:
Heat and drought-tolerant but water regularly for cutest results
Pest-free but beloved by pollinators
Excellent cut flower for fresh bouquets or dried arrangements
Looks incredible planted en masse at the front of your border or along a path
Open-pollinated
These gomphrena are the happiest little red gumdrops. The trickiest part of growing them is getting them started. Once they get going, they are drought tolerant, trouble-free, and this globe amaranth is even edible! Grow them for cut flowers, dried flowers, or for pockets of bright red color in the landscape. Every packet of seeds includes a few dried flower heads from JMJ’s own garden so you can see how the seeds form and scatter those as well. Great for teaching little ones.
JOY MAX QUALITIES:
Heat and drought-tolerant but water regularly for cutest results
Pest-free but beloved by pollinators
Excellent cut flower for fresh bouquets or dried arrangements
Looks incredible planted en masse at the front of your border or along a path
Open-pollinated
A mass planting is a sight that will bring you joy every time you set your eyes on it. I highly recommend planting them along a path or a drive where you will see them every day. You don’t necessarily have to plant them in the garden with everything else since you will not have to water them very often. They are the sweetest bouquet filler and they’ll stay perfect in the vase for at least a week. Harvest when flowers are in color but before fully open. You can extend the bouquets into winter by drying them. To dry, harvest when flowers are completely open. Cut the stem at the desired height, trim off any foliage, and hang the flower upside-down in a well-ventilated, dry, somewhat cool location for 2-3 weeks until dry and stiff. Dried flowers are fragile; handle with care.
Gomphrena is the cutest bouquet filler. If you dry them, they can last for years before the color fades.
Gomphrena haageana PLANT HEIGHT: 18-24” PLANT WIDTH: 18-28" SEED DEPTH: 1/4" PLANT SPACING: 6-12" GERM: 5-14 days at 70-78°F (21-26°C) IDEAL TEMP: 70-95°F DAYS TO MATURITY: 85 - 100 SOIL: Semi-fertile to poor LIGHT: Full Sun / afternoon shade
It’s safer to start gomphrena inside, but you can also tear up the seed heads included in your packet and scatter them outside after a warm rain. I always do a mix of direct sown and transplanted when I grow gomphrena.
Growing Tips:
Gomphrena seeds are fuzzy and flat. They need light to germinate and it takes them a while to do it. That means there’s a lot that can happen to them before it happens. They can wash away in the rain, birds could eat them. That’s why I like to start them inside under constant grow lights and on a heat pad until they sprout. They will still be very small when you transplant them out, but as long as you harden them off for a week and then baby them a bit after planting they’ll be fine. Just water them in with seaweed and protect them from squirrels. They’ll soon take off and you can forget all about them until one day, they bloom and you die with cuteness overload.
• The more you cut it, the more it blooms. Makes a stunning addition to bouquets or all on its own, fresh or dried.
• Pinch off wilted gomphrena blooms, as deadheading keeps gomphrena neat and tidy and prevents the plant from going to seed too early. To deadhead, pinch the faded bloom with your fingernail. Include the attached stem down to the next bloom, bud or leaf.
• After periods of very wet weather, you may have trouble reviving downed plants. You can cut off any limp stems and try to get its stability back to get going again once it's dried out a bit.
