Celosia – 2023 Flower of The Year

The celosia was named the National Garden Bureau’s Annual Flower of the Year for 2023!

Celosia is a family of garden flowers that are known as cockscombs or woolflowers due to their unique, and unusual, appearance. Celosia typically sports brightly colored, feathery plumes or crests that resemble the head of a rooster, hence the name cockscomb.

Here are three types of celosia:

• Plumosa – Vigorous with excellent garden performance, those in the plumosa group are deer resistant. Colors include red, orange, yellow and gold.  These feathery plumes make great cut flowers. New for 2023 is the series Flamma, a show stopper in the flower bed. Flamma Orange is a winner of the prestigious All-American Selections award for this year, won for its vigorous field performance and excellent heat and humidity tolerance.
• Cristata (Cockscomb) – Produces eye-catching crested flowers that have a coral-like or brain-like appearance. The flowers are often large and heavy and may need staking. Great for cutting, but unfortunately deer love this type. Deer repellents work.
• Wheat Celosia – The flower spikes are reminiscent of wheat grass seed heads. Deer resistant and great for cutting.

Easy to grow, gorgeous in flower beds or containers, and great for cutting. A great choice for annual flower of the year – Celosia!