Garden Source

The Bachelor Button Tall Blend, ‘Centaurea cyanus’, is a carefree annual that adds vertical interest and an array of colors to your garden. The Bachelor Button, also known as Cornflower, is drought tolerant and needs little pampering. The seed the plant drops quite readily comes back the next year to produce another crop of beautiful flowers. The Tall Blend Bachelor Button produces 1/2 to 1 inch wide flowers in colors of purple, light blue, pink, and white. They will bloom 10 to 12 weeks after seeding. The normal bloom period is 3 to 4 weeks. Bachelor Buttons prefer full sun but will withstand some shade. Average to poor dry soils will produce great flowers. Remove spent flowers to extend bloom season and flower size. Plant in early spring 1 to 2 weeks before last frost. In warm climates plant in in summer to early fall. The Bachelor Button is great for cut or dried flowers.

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The Amaranth Edible Red Leaf, ‘Amaranthus tricolor’, is a heat loving summer green that is even more nutritious than spinach or beet greens. This plant is showy enough for blower beds with its coleus appearance. The flavorful foliage has a hearty spinach flavor that is sweet and slightly tangy. Amaranth loves the heat and is a favorite source of salad greens when other spring green crops have all been harvested. Amaranth can be steamed, stir fried, or sauteed. Mix Edible Red Leaf Amaranth with spaghetti sauce, rice, or meatloaf for added taste. The medium green oval leaves are overlaid with burgundy red stars that make this plant look a bit like coleus. This plant is known as Callaloo in the Caribbean, Bhaji in India and is also known as Joseph’s Coat. Plant when soil temperatures are warm. Amaranth will tolerate most soils, but prefers light, loamy soils.

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