So pretty!

I love gomphrena and always grow a large amount of it every year. Yours look a little pale to me....do you fertilize?

Do you notice pollinators visiting those plants? I am trying to find beautiful plants, but I need them to provide nectar or pollen for the beneficial insects that are declining so drastically.

Martha

[Bee on it[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/bee-enjoying-a-gomphrena-dsvw-vd~4798192)

Yours look a little pale to me..

These are a multicoloured gomphrena ie dark pink, light pink and white.

rouge, I'm aware that yours are a mix of colors....and very pretty. I was talking about the foliage, it appears to be a paler green than is typical, but it could just be the lighting. If you aren't fertilizing, then that would be the explanation.

Martha, gomphrena is one of the most popular flowers in my gardens! I have a small sun garden in front of a large living room window so am able to witness activity at any time. Bees, butterflies, skippers, moths, and all manner of other nectar feeders visit the small flowers. The best surprise, however, is that hummingbirds like it!

My main cutting gardens are in the back yard where I have several varieties of gomphrena. We've noted early evening visits by a couple of different kinds of hummingbird moths! What fun.

Sorry 'rhizo'... that's dumb of me. I have fertilized but maybe not enough.

(Can I harvest the seeds and reseed next year in a pot?)

rouge.....yes, you can collect and plant the seed from this year's flowers. However, (always a catch), they won't reproduce like progeny with any guarantee. If that's not important to you, no problem.

I grow a few different kinds for using in floral arrangements and I need to be sure of what I am planting. I want a certain percentage of white, for example, or I'll cry. Not really.

Other than that, I would save the seeds and simply enjoy gomphrena for the pretty flowers and how wonderfully they dry in perfect condition.

rhino,

How do you harvest gomphrena for flower arrangements? I've planted some this year and love how "cut and come again it is" but many have flopped over in the vase. So now, I check to see how stiff the stem is before I cut it, like zinnias, but the joints seems to get soggy and weak after being in the vase for a few days. Any tips?

I space the plants so that the stems are sturdy and stocky and grow them in a very sunny location. I water the night before harvesting and cut early in the morning and carry a bucket of water with me to the garden so that the stems get put in water immediately after cutting. All of the leaves are trimmed off at that time, too.

Inside, I prepare my vases and/or floral foam and always use a floral preservative in the water. When I'm ready to put something together, the stems are quickly cut again, then immediately put into position in a vase or stuck in the foam.

If I'm planning on drying a bunch of stems for dried arrangements, I follow the same protocol until I get to the house where I lay them on some clean towels, pat the stems dry before collecting a small bundle to tie together. I use cotton kitchen twine, wrapped several times around the stems and end with a loop so that I can hang the bundles upside down in the spare bedroom closet.

Truthfully, I've had my Gomphrena stems dry perfectly in a vase after all of the water has evaporated!

I grew Gomphrena from seed, and the seeds need complete darkness in order to germinate.

I have to disagree with that comment, Jay. I have found them to be ambivalent about light. I cover them lightly with a dusting of germination mix, then mist with warm water in order to settle them into the flats. Seeds that are exposed to light germinate just fine.

I apologise if my info was incorrect. I've only grown it once, years ago and the instructions said complete darkness. I had 100 percent germination. I just assumed that was the way it was done. I never tried germinating them in sunlight, so I knew none the better.

I never tried germinating them in sunlight,

FWIW, I sprinkled a whole pack of gomprhena seeds into the pot above (with potting soil) in early May and left it outdoors the whole time.

Thanks to both of you for the information. It will make growing them the next time a lot less hastle

Jay, you'll probably find all kinds of directions about how to germinate gomphrena; makes it confusing, I know. I like to double check with at least a couple germination charts, preferably from .edu websites.

I have to remind myself every year, even with my tried and true plant varieties.

Yeah, I was looking around. Some say they need light. Some don't say complete darkness, instead they say, darkness aids in germination. I just once again realized that, before I start spouting out truths on here, I need to catch up on the most current information. All of a sudden I'm falling in love with Gomphrenas again.I will have to order a couple kinds of seed. The Fireworks would be the first, and the real deep crimson type will be the second.

Thanks rhizo,

How much space would you say you give them? I would say mine are about 10 inches apart. I used seeds from Baker Creek. Do you recommend a specific company or type of gomphrena? Thanks again,

I've been purchasing Audray and Ping Pong from Harris simply because I can buy lots of one color as well as a mix. For my arrangements, I use the bright purple and white more than anything. The white is a bit boring in the garden but really pops in multicolor floral bouquets.

I grew Fireworks once but the flower heads were a bit untidy for my taste and the bright anthers didn't stay yellow very long. But my needs are specific and don't let my opinion stop you from enjoying them.

By the way, sowing directions from Harris says that the seeds require light to germinate, lol. Absolutely not true. I use a colander to dust the garden sown seeds with a 1/4 inch layer of light germination mix, then water thoroughly with my misting nozzle.

We really enjoy having "Gomphrena" as a pot on our deck every season. I only plant it from seed as it is a rarity to find this annual at any nursery.

I'm loving the bright purple in my arrangements and the colandar trick is brilliant! I think I'll try it...I have some hardy annuals I'm about to direct sow this week. Thanks for the tip:)

I love this conversation about one of my favorite summer annuals. I'd like to speak to the attributes of this great plant.

Gomphrena is very drought tolerant once established, thrives in hot and dry situations, does not require deadheading, though you should cut the flowers frequently to bring inside.

I've not noted any major pest problems of any kind.

Overhead irrigation systems might be a real problem for these plants, they are truly for the dry garden. I think of them as a must have plant. Don't forget that they are an everlasting flower.

P.S. That bright purple is amazing. When I am completed with the prettiest arrangements, I have found that the addition of a few of those purple globes are always spectacular.

'rhizo', I have had no problem getting germination in a pot with potting soil but I got no success sowing them directly into the garden :(.

I have a perfect stretch of dry arid ground that is screaming for gomphrena but in my zone, if I used seed sowing in mid May, they wouldn't be in bloom until....early August :(.

UPDATE:

Now into October the foliage is falling away but this just serves to highlight the amazing colours of these so long lasting flowers. Here is the same pot today:

So pretty!

UPDATE:

Just placed an order for a packet of the same 'dwarf' mix as well as the taller "Las Vegas".

Yay!

I have three 'super cute' bouquets of my past season's flowers in pretty containers placed where I need a bright splash of color. Gomphrena is my favorite dried everlasting flower.

rogue, do you know what variety you grew last year? I grew the QIS mix, and I never saw any bees, butterflies, etc. on them. I might try Gomphrena 'Fireworks' this year.

UPDATE September 2019:

This year's containers:

Show us your GOMPHRENA from 2019

When I planted these, they were single stems in 4 inch pots. I was late with them this year, planted in late July. They were on the clearance rack, .50 a pot — I couldn’t resist. :)

They are tough. Texas heat, drought, intense and brutal sun. These get watered once a week at the most. First pic, hell strip ....