Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth is a striking heirloom annual that earns its poetic name from the long, velvety crimson flower spikes that cascade downward like strands of silk. Reaching 36 to 48 inches tall, this ornamental powerhouse blooms from June through November and transitions from seed to full flowering in about 84 days. Beyond its theatrical beauty, the entire plant is edible: the leaves taste green and nutritious when steamed or raw, the seeds pack omega fatty acids and protein, and the dramatic flowers command respect in cut-flower arrangements. It thrives on neglect, handling drought with ease while asking only for full sun and well-draining soil.
Full Sun
Low
2-11
48in H x ?in W
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High
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Deep purple flowers unfold into extraordinary drooping panicles that look like liquid garnets falling from the stem, creating a visual drama rarely seen in home gardens. The plant itself grows into a yellow-green bush with an almost subtropical presence, standing head-and-shoulders above most companions. Because every part works in the kitchen, from tender leaves to protein-rich grain, you're growing pure abundance in a single plant; the cut flowers last weeks indoors, and the dried seed heads reward you through autumn.
Every part of this plant feeds you. The young leaves, tender and bright, work raw in salads or wilted into warm dishes like spinach. As the plant matures, harvest the grain from the flower heads and pop it like popcorn, blend it into flour, or stir it into smoothies for a protein boost. The grain also makes excellent animal feed. The spectacular flowers themselves earn their place in fresh arrangements, where they last for weeks, and can be dried for winter arrangements or pressed for crafts. Even ornamental gardeners who never harvest anything get measurable value from the sculptural presence of the plant itself.
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Six weeks before your last spring frost, sow seeds thinly into well-draining seed-starting mix, covering them barely (they need light to germinate). Keep the soil evenly moist by placing a humidity dome over the containers or sprinkling a thin layer of vermiculite on top to prevent damping off, and maintain temperatures between 65 and 75°F. Seeds sprout in 3 to 14 days. Provide strong light once seedlings emerge so they stay stocky and don't stretch. Transplant seedlings outdoors only when weather is warm and settled, well after your last frost date.
Once seedlings are large enough to handle and outside conditions are reliably warm, thin or transplant them 18 to 24 inches apart. Choose a spot in full sun with well-draining soil. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over several days before planting them out. Love Lies Bleeding is frost-tender, so wait until all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed.
Direct sow seeds outdoors after your last spring frost date, barely covering them. Thin seedlings to 24-inch spacing once they have true leaves and are vigorous enough to handle thinning.
For edible leaves, harvest the tender top growth and younger leaves throughout the season before the plant shifts its energy entirely to flowering. For grain, wait until the flower spikes have dried on the plant, typically well into fall or after light frosts have passed, then cut the entire flowering head and rub the dried seeds free into a container. For cut flowers, harvest stems when the drooping flower spikes are fully emerged and deep purple in color, cutting them early in the morning and immediately placing them in water; they last two to three weeks indoors. For drying, hang entire flower heads upside down in a warm, airy space out of direct sun until completely papery.
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“Love Lies Bleeding carries the mark of true heirloom status, a variety that has traveled through generations of seed savers and gardeners because it is simply too beautiful and useful to lose. The species Amaranthus caudatus has roots in South American indigenous agriculture, where amaranth held ceremonial and nutritional significance for centuries. This particular cultivar became treasured as an ornamental in European and Victorian gardens during the 19th century, admired for its theatrical appearance, then crossed back into kitchen gardens when gardeners realized they could eat what they were admiring. It has endured because people loved it enough to save its seeds year after year.”