Cockscomb

Cockscomb: how do you recognise it?

Habit

An upright, branched annual 30–40 cm tall and about 30 cm wide.

Leaves

Narrow to oval, 5–10 cm long, glossy green or bronze.

Flowers

Dense plumes, crinkled crests or narrow spikes packed with tiny flowers, from July to October.

Colour

Red, orange, yellow, pink, purple and cream, often in vivid shades.

Seed

Tiny, glossy black seeds among the spent flowers.

Flowering: July–October · Sowing: March–April · Plants: June

Why grow it?

• Vivid, warm colours from July until the first frost, even in a hot, sunny corner.
• An excellent cut flower that lasts a long time in the vase.
• One of the best flowers for drying: the colours last a long time.
• Compact and suitable for pots, containers and the front of a border.
• Striking, unusual flower shapes that catch the eye in any bouquet.

Cockscomb: where does it grow best?

• Full sun and a warm, sheltered spot, for example against a south-facing wall or on a sunny patio.
• Rich, free-draining soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to neutral.
• Moist: it tolerates neither a dried-out root ball nor wet feet.
• Allow 20–30 cm between plants; in a pot or container they can be a little closer.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Hardiness

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

Goes well with

• Zinnia: Flowers at the same time in equally warm colours and is also a good cut flower.
• French marigold: Low orange and yellow flowers at the front of a sunny bed.
• Mealy sage: Blue spikes as a cool contrast to the vivid plumes.
• Fountain grass: Soft grass plumes that echo the plume shape.

Cockscomb: when and how to plant it?

Plant in June.

1. Sow indoors in March or April at 20–25 °C. Barely cover the fine seed and keep it moist; it germinates in 1–2 weeks.
2. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots early: if the roots become cramped, the plant flowers too early and stays small.
3. Keep the young plants warm, ideally above 15 °C, in a light spot.
4. Harden them off outdoors during the day in late May and only plant out in early June, when the nights are no longer cold.
5. Plant 20–30 cm apart, at the same depth as in the pot, without disturbing the root ball, and water straight away.

Care

Watering

Keep the soil slightly moist. Plants in pots dry out quickly: check daily in summer. Water at the base, not over the flowers.

Feeding

In pots, liquid feed for flowering plants every two weeks. In rich garden soil, little extra feed is needed.

Pinching

For plume and spike forms, pinch out the tip when the plant is 15 cm tall: you will get more flower stems. Do not pinch crested forms.

Cutting and drying

Cut the flowers when fully coloured, strip the leaves and hang them upside down in an airy, dark place.

Spent flowers

Remove dried-up plumes so the plant makes new flowers.

Tip: Sow in warmth indoors in April and only plant out in early June, because cold stunts growth for good. The plumes look lovely in bouquets and dry well.

Cockscomb: when to prune it?

When: Cockscomb is not pruned. You may pinch young plants in June, cut flowers for the vase in summer and clear the plants after the first frost.

How:

• Pinch plume and spike forms once when they are about 15 cm tall, for a bushier plant.
• Cut flowers with a good length of stem, just above a leaf or side shoot.
• Pull up the plants after the first frost and put them on the compost heap.

Caution: Pinching gives smaller crests on the crested forms: simply let those grow.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In September–October, rub a dry flower head over a sheet of paper to catch the black seeds. Store them cool and dry and sow indoors in March–April at 20–25 °C. F1 hybrids do not come true from saved seed.

Cockscomb: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to 5 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy and very sensitive to cold: it already suffers below about 5 °C. It is an annual and dies in autumn.
• A plant in a pot can carry on flowering for a while in autumn on a sunny windowsill indoors.
• Store your own seed cool and dry until spring.

Diseases and pests

• Cold check: Plants put out too early or left in the cold stay small and hardly flower. Only plant out in early June and keep them warm.
• Root rot: In soil that is too wet, the leaves go limp and yellow and the stem base rots. Make sure the soil drains well and the pot has a hole.
• Aphids: On the young tips. Hose them off with water or let ladybirds do their work.
• Red spider mite: Fine webbing and pale speckles on the leaves, especially in hot, dry air. Mist the leaves with water and keep the soil moist.

Through the year

• March: Sow indoors at 20–25 °C.
• April: Sow and prick out into individual pots. Keep warm.
• May: Pot on young plants. In late May, harden off outdoors during the day.
• June: Plant out in early June. Pinch plume forms.
• July: First flowers. Water, and feed plants in pots.
• August: Full flower. Cut flowers for the vase or for drying.
• September: Flowering. Collect seed from dry flower heads.
• October: Last flowers. Clear the plants after the first frost.

Did you know?

• The name Celosia comes from the Greek ‘keleos’, burning, because the plumes look like flames.
• The crinkled crest is caused by a malformation of the flower stem, which becomes broad and flat instead of round.
• In West Africa, the young leaves of this species are grown as a leafy vegetable.