Love-lies-bleeding

Love-lies-bleeding: how do you recognise it?

Habit

A sturdy, upright annual about 1 m tall and 50 cm wide, with thick, branched stems.

Leaves

Large, oval and lightly veined, 10–15 cm long; pale green, often with a reddish tinge.

Flowers

Tiny flowers in dense, long, hanging tassels from July to October.

Colour

Usually deep crimson; there are also forms with green or cream tassels.

Seed

Thousands of tiny, round seeds per plant, pale or dark in colour.

Flowering: July–October · Harvest and fruit: June–October · Sowing: April–May · Plants: May–June

Why grow it?

• Spectacular hanging tassels from July until the first frost: an eye-catcher in any summer border.
• Excellent as a cut flower and for drying: the tassels keep their shape for a long time.
• In autumn, birds such as finches eat the seed from the spent tassels.
• Edible: the young leaves are cooked like spinach and the seed can be used as a grain.
• Easy to grow from seed and quickly becomes a substantial plant in a single season.

Love-lies-bleeding: where does it grow best?

• Full sun and a warm spot: in shade the tassels stay small.
• Rich, well-worked soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky. Dig in some compost beforehand.
• Moist: it tolerates a short dry spell but grows best if the soil does not dry out.
• Sheltered from strong wind, as the heavy tassels pull the plant over. Allow 40–50 cm between plants.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

1 m tall, 0.5 m wide

Hardiness

Frost tender: plant out after the last frost (mid-May)

Goes well with

• Sunflower: A tall yellow partner for a sunny summer border or a vegetable garden.
• Dahlia: Flowers at the same time until the frost, in warm colours that suit the red tassels.
• Cosmos: An airy, loose filler between the sturdy amaranths.
• Fountain grass: Soft grass plumes as a contrast to the hanging tails.

Love-lies-bleeding: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May–June.

1. Sow indoors in April at about 20 °C, thinly and no more than 0.5 cm deep, or sow where it is to flower in late May.
2. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they have two true leaves.
3. From mid-May, harden them off outdoors during the day and plant out in late May or June, once frost is no longer expected.
4. Plant 40–50 cm apart, at the same depth as in the pot; thin direct-sown plants to the same spacing.
5. Water well after planting and lay a thin layer of mulch around the base.

Care

Watering

Water in dry weather, especially in the first weeks after planting and for plants in pots.

Feeding

Not needed in rich soil. On poor soil, give compost or organic fertiliser once in June.

Staking

In a windy spot, put a sturdy cane by each plant, as the heavy tassels pull it over.

Cutting and drying

Cut tassels for the vase when they are fully coloured. To dry them, hang them upside down in an airy, dark place.

Harvesting

Pick young leaves for the kitchen; harvest the seed when the tassels start to dry.

Tip: Sow indoors in April or in place in late May in rich soil. The hanging tassels are beautiful in bouquets, and birds eat the seed in autumn.

Love-lies-bleeding: when to prune it?

When: Love-lies-bleeding is not pruned. You only cut tassels for the vase and clear away the dead plants after the first frost.

How:

• Cut tassels for a bouquet or for drying with a length of stem.
• Leave a few tassels for the birds.
• After the first frost, pull up the blackened plants and put them on the compost heap.

Caution: If you leave the tassels, it sometimes self-seeds in warm summers. Weed out unwanted seedlings in spring.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In September–October, shake a dry tassel into a paper bag and sieve out the seed. Store it cool and dry and sow it indoors in April or outdoors in late May.

Love-lies-bleeding: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to 2 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: the plant dies at the first frost. It is an annual and does not need overwintering.
• Leave a few tassels into winter: they look lovely with frost on them and birds eat the seed.
• Store your own seed cool and dry in a paper envelope until spring.

Diseases and pests

• Aphids: Colonies on the young tips and under the leaves. Hose them off with water; ladybirds help too.
• Slugs: Eat young seedlings and plants. Plant out once the plants are sturdy and pick off slugs in the evening.
• Falling over: After rain or wind the heavy tassels pull the plant over. Put a sturdy cane by the plant and choose a sheltered spot.
• Damping off: Seedlings collapse at the base because of a fungus. Sow thinly in clean seed compost and do not overwater.

Through the year

• April: Sow indoors at 20 °C. Prick out.
• May: In late May, sow in place or plant out once frost is no longer expected.
• June: Plant out. Water. Put in canes.
• July: First tassels. Harvest young leaves.
• August: Full flower. Cut tassels for the vase or for drying.
• September: Harvest seed from drying tassels.
• October: Last tassels. Birds eat the seed. Clear the plants after the first frost.

Edible and useful

Leaves (June–August)

From June to August, pick the young leaves and tips, and use the seedlings you thin out too. They taste mild, rather like spinach; in much of the world amaranth leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Cook them briefly or stir-fry them with garlic, or add them to soup or curry. Do not pick too much from one plant if you also want the tassels or the seed.

Seeds (September–October)

The seed of love-lies-bleeding, amaranth, is a pseudocereal: not the grain of a grass such as wheat or rice, but a seed you use in the same way, and it contains no gluten. In September and October, let a few tassels dry on the plant until the seed comes loose when you rub it. Then cut them off and rub or shake them out over a bucket or a large paper bag. Sieve out the coarse bits and blow away the light chaff, outdoors in a gentle breeze. The seeds are tiny: cook them into porridge, pop them in a dry pan or add them to bread dough. Always eat them cooked, popped or baked, never raw.

Storing

The leaves keep for one to two days in a bag in the fridge; blanched, they can be frozen. After cleaning, let the seed dry for another week in a dish and keep it in a tightly closed jar, cool and dark: that way it keeps for a year. Popped amaranth stays crisp for two weeks in a closed jar.

Caution: Like spinach, amaranth leaves contain nitrate and oxalic acid: eat them cooked and in moderation, not raw in large amounts and not with kidney stones, gout or rheumatism, and do not give them to babies. Never eat the seed raw. Only harvest seed from your own unsprayed plants: seed sold in packets for sowing is not always meant for eating.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Popped amaranth (Other · ± 200 ml · 10 min)
• Amaranth porridge with apple and cinnamon (Dish · 2 people · 35 min)
• Stir-fried amaranth leaves with garlic (Dish · 2 people · 15 min)

Good for wildlife

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Did you know?

• In the Andes this plant is called kiwicha. The Incas already grew it for its seed.
• The name Amaranthus comes from the Greek ‘amarantos’, unfading, because the dried tassels keep their colour for a long time.
• The Dutch name ‘kattenstaart’ (cat’s tail) is also used for purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), a native waterside plant that is not related at all.