Amaranthus cruentus Autumn Palette Group

RHS Plant Profile

prince's feather Autumn Palette Group

RHS / Joanna Kossak

Annual Biennial

Plants produce feathery spikes of flowers in 'earth' colours such as rust-red, orange, brown and cream, in summer and autumn. Some seed mixtures may have a preponderance of pale colours

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1 year
Max Spread: 0.5-1 metres
Max Height: 0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: West–facing or South–facing or East–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H2
Drought Resistance: Yes

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Amaranthaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Amaranthus can be upright or spreading annuals or short-lived perennials, with simple leaves and tiny flowers borne in dense, erect or pendulous, catkin-like inflorescences in summer and autumn
Name Status: Unresolved

How to Grow

Cultivation

Under glass grow in peat-free, loam-based compost in full light. Outdoors for summer bedding, grow in moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist soil in full sun in a sheltered site. Water freely during summer to prolong flowering

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown at 20C (68F) in mid-spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Sub-tropical
City and courtyard gardens
Patio and container plants
Cut flowers
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Remove plants grown as summer bedding after flowering

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids

Diseases

May be susceptible to a virus