Amaranth 'Joseph's Coat'
Amaranthus tricolor

SKU # S976

Product Type: Seed Packet

Approximate Seeds Per Packet: 750

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~~$3.50~~
$2.97
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A featured plant of Monticello's floral gardens, this ever-popular plant has beautiful foliage in vivid combinations of yellow, scarlet, and green that develop in summer on the upper leaves of this sturdy, large-leaved annual. A heat lover that thrives in the high humidity of full summer, it is lovely paired with grasses and salvias in the border.

Circa 1806

Lifecycle: Annual

Hardiness: Half Hardy Annual

Size: 3-4' h x 1.5'

Sun: Full sun

Soil: Regular to rich, well-drained

Season: Summer

Seed to Bloom: 12 weeks

Color: Tricolor foliage develops during the summer months

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HOW TO GROW Amaranthus tricolor

Sowing Instructions

Depth: Barely cover 1/16"
Sprout Time: 3-14 days
Starting Indoors: Six weeks before last frost, sow thinly into pots filled with a mix specifically for seed germination. Keep at 65-75°F with evenly moist conditions by placing a humidity dome over the containers until germination occurs, or by sprinkling a thin cover of vermiculite over the pots.
Starting Outdoors: Direct sow after last frost.
When to Set Outside: After all danger of frost has passed.

Placement & Cultivation

Large-leaved amaranth Joseph's Coat has beautiful foliage in vivid color combinations. Beloved since Elizabethan times in England, when old herbals described it, "every leaf resembles in color the most fair and beautiful feather of a parrot." A heat lover, thriving in summer's high humidity and lower fertility soils, for very rich soils will grow larger plants at the expense of foliage color. Be careful if transplanting, as young plants resent root disturbance. This species' leaves are a nutritious vegetable in Chinese, Asian, Indian, West African, and Caribbean cuisines.
Final Spacing: 1.5'
Water Use: Medium Water Use
Watering Details: Drought tolerant. 1" a week until established; then water during dry spells.
Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral
Fertilizer: If soils are particularly poor, mix in an organic granular fertilizer once seedlings have reached 6-8" in height.
Diseases & Pests: Tarnished plant bugs can infest flower heads. Use an organic insecticide to control. Provide freely-draining soils, for, in wet soils, emerging seedlings may die from soil pathogens. Overly moist soils also encourage various fungal root and stem rots on mature plants, causing collapse.
When to Cut For Bouquets: 1/2-3/4 of florets opened

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Number of Comments 1

Average rating:

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

Good pops of color, easy to grow Monday, April 6, 2020

By New Bern, NC

Select Seeds Confirmed Purchase

Zone 8. First time growing in newly dug bed, not great soil. These offered a lot of color for very little effort. Like a lot of annuals, they got kind of leggy as the season went on, but this year I will mingle them with marigolds or zinnias or something. I'll definitely order and grow again.

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Amaranth 'Joseph's Coat'
Amaranthus tricolor

Growing Companions

HOW TO GROW Amaranthus tricolor

Sowing Instructions

Placement & Cultivation

Ratings & Reviews

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Amaranth 'Joseph's Coat' Amaranthus tricolor

Growing Companions

HOW TO GROW Amaranthus tricolor

Sowing Instructions

Placement & Cultivation

Ratings & Reviews

Notify Me

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Amaranth 'Joseph's Coat'
Amaranthus tricolor