Love-lies-bleeding
Dreadlocks Amaranth is a showstopping heirloom that transforms the garden into a living sculpture. Its fountain-like clusters of magenta-burgundy flowers drape downward in dramatic weeping strands, with tassels sometimes reaching nearly to the ground, a truly unusual architectural element in any planting scheme. These compact plants reach 3-4 feet tall and mature in about 84 days, making them surprisingly quick to reach their full theatrical glory. Both the seeds and young leaves are edible and deeply nutritious, adding a functional element to this ornamental powerhouse.
Tubifex(CC BY-SA 3.0)
Full Sun
Low
10-12
60in H x 36in W
Annual
High
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What sets Dreadlocks apart is its peculiar, gravity-defying flower structure, those characteristic drooping tassels create a living cascade of color that draws the eye and doubles as an exceptional cutting flower for floral design. The compact growth habit keeps it manageable in beds and borders despite its dramatic presence. Its dual nature as both ornamental spectacle and edible source makes it a conversation starter that actually produces food. With its tolerance for drought and preference for full sun, it thrives where other plants struggle, flowering reliably from summer straight through fall.
Dreadlocks Amaranth shines as an ornamental cutting flower for floral arrangements, where those extraordinary drooping flower heads create arrangements with genuine personality and depth. The young leaves can be harvested and used as nutritious greens, while the mature seeds offer a protein-rich grain option. Its dramatic form makes it equally valuable as a garden specimen plant in beds and borders, where it adds architectural interest and visual movement that static plantings simply cannot achieve.
Start seeds indoors six weeks before your last frost date. Sow thinly into seed-starting mix and place a humidity dome over the containers to maintain even moisture. Keep temperatures between 65-75°F. Germination typically occurs within 3-14 days. Using vermiculite as a thin covering helps prevent damping off, a common problem with delicate seedlings.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date has passed, when soil has warmed sufficiently. Harden off seedlings gradually by exposing them to outdoor conditions over several days before planting into garden beds.
Direct sow seeds after the last frost date by scattering them thinly where you want them to grow. Germination will occur within 3-10 days under warm conditions.
Harvest young leaves at any point during the growing season for use as nutritious greens. For seed harvest, allow flower heads to mature fully and dry on the plant as autumn approaches. Seeds are ready to collect when the flower heads have completely dried and begin to shed seeds naturally. You can cut the entire dried flower head and thresh it to release seeds, or allow them to self-seed in the garden.
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