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Amaranth 'Oeschberg'
Seed Packet

Amaranth 'Oeschberg'

Amaranthus cruentus
Amaranth 'Oeschberg' is a rediscovered heirloom circa 1952, still valued for its large, upright plumes of burgundy and its ability to thrive in hot, humid summer conditions. Eggplant purple leaves and flower spikes smolder among deepest red flowers and chartreuse green amaranths in the back border. An Award of Garden Merit honors this full, long-blooming selection. Beautiful and useful, too; the young plants harvested as salad greens and the nutritious seeds that mature in late summer feed you and the local birds!
SKU #S250
$3.25
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Details
Approximate Seeds Per Packet
1020
Lifecycle
Annual
Annual Hardiness
Half Hardy Annual
Mature Size
3-4' h x 2-3' w
Sun
Full sun
Soil
Regular to rich, well-drained
Season
Summer to fall
Color
Deep maroon spires of bloom
Features
Great Cut Flower
Heat or Drought Tolerant
Notable
RHS Award of Garden Merit Winner
SOWING INSTRUCTIONS
Depth:
Barely cover 1/16"
Sprout Time:
3-14 days
Seed To Bloom:
12 weeks
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. Be very careful not to disturb the roots.
PLACEMENT & CULTIVATION
Amaranth is an excellent choice for adding bold texture to your summer gardens. Its wooly flowers and coarse leaves create a unique and eye-catching effect. This plant thrives in heat and humidity, making it perfect as the centerpiece of a bed of summer annuals or as an accent in the back border. When planted in abundance, it is an effective hedge or screening plant. Amaranth is also often grown as a cut flower, either fresh or dried. Sow the small seeds thinly and remove any weed competition when young; they will tower over all by high summer. It is easy to cultivate, but be sure to stake it in windy areas and provide very well-drained soils. Later in the season, birds will visit and feast on the abundant seeds, adding to the ecological diversity of your garden.
Final Spacing:
2'
Water Requirements:
Medium Water Use
Watering Details:
Drought tolerant. 1" a week until fully 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. Avoid excess fertilizer.
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:
Harvest for fresh cuts when 1/2 to 3/4 of the florets are open.