Globe Amaranth
Audray White Gomphrena is a bushy annual flower prized as one of the finest white varieties for cut flower work. Standing 18-28 inches tall, this open-pollinated cultivar produces distinctive milk-white, clover-shaped blooms that dry beautifully while retaining both color and papery texture. From seed to first flowers takes 95-110 days, making it ideal for gardeners seeking a reliable, heat-tolerant annual that performs equally well in fresh arrangements or dried bouquets.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-11
28in H x 12in W
Annual
High
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What sets Audray White apart is its exceptional longevity in the vase and its ability to hold its pristine color through the drying process, a quality that makes it beloved by florists and home arrangers alike. The blooms are genuinely papery and long-lasting, whether you harvest them fresh or let them cure on the stem. Its bushy, compact growth habit means you get dense flower production from a relatively tidy plant, perfect for filling containers, borders, or creating visual weight in mixed plantings. Best of all, this is a genuinely fuss-free plant that laughs at heat and drought.
Audray White shines as a cut flower for both fresh and dried arrangements. The blooms are harvested at the peak of color for fresh bouquets or allowed to fully open and cure on the stem for dried work. The milk-white flowers also work beautifully in leis, garlands, and mixed floral designs where their papery texture and shape provide structure and visual interest. Beyond cutting, the bushy plant serves as an attractive bedding specimen or container filler.
Sow seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last spring frost date into 72-cell flats or your preferred seedling container. Cover seeds lightly with 1/8 inch of growing media—they need light to germinate. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged until seedlings emerge. Once growing, provide bright light and cool temperatures to prevent leggy growth.
Harden off seedlings gradually over 7-10 days by exposing them to outdoor conditions in increasing increments before final transplanting. Wait until all danger of frost has passed before moving plants outside. Plant at the same depth they were growing in containers, spacing them 6 inches apart with 12 inches between rows. The soil should be warm and any frost risk completely eliminated.
Direct seeding is not recommended for this variety; indoor starting followed by transplanting produces superior results and more reliable flowering.
For fresh arrangements, harvest when flowers are in full color but before they open completely, this extends vase life significantly. For dried arrangements, allow flowers to fully open on the plant, then cut and hang upside down in a dry, airy location out of direct sunlight. The papery blooms will retain their milk-white color beautifully throughout the drying process, which typically takes 2-3 weeks depending on humidity.
Pruning is generally unnecessary given the naturally bushy growth habit. If plants become leggy or overgrown mid-season, you can pinch back the growing tips to encourage denser branching and more flowers, though this may delay bloom by a week or two.
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