Dracula Celosia Seeds

Every well-dressed garden needs one showstopper, and Dracula is hoping to be chosen for that role in your landscape. This incredible crested celosia sets a single, enormous bloom 6 to 7 inches long, facing upright with a rippled crest and rich color that deepens from blood red to midnight violet in the sunlight. If there's a more dramatic plant anywhere, we'd like to see it.

The perfect size for pots, this annual reaches just 8 to 16 inches high (and much of that height is the bloom) and 8 to 12 inches wide. Set one into a 6-inch pot, let the gorgeous pointed leaves (veined in purple) spill over the sides, their tips upturned for a beautiful rosette effect. The bloom lasts for many weeks, so you will be able to enjoy Dracula over a long season.

Like its namesake, Dracula is very light sensitive. If you start the seed indoors, the foliage will be entirely green. It's not until it is transplanted into the sun and the warmer, longer days of summer arrive that the purple tones will appear. Similarly, the flower begins as a shade of maroon, then darkens with exposure to sunshine. Fun to watch.

And one more advantage: Dracula is open-pollinated, so you should definitely let it go to seed and then share the spoils with friends.

Dracula is easy to grow in any well-drained soil. You may direct sow the seeds when the ground warms up in spring, or begin them indoors about 4 weeks before the last frost date for an even earlier start. Germination takes about 10 to 15 days. Transplant when all danger of frost is past and the seedlings have at least 2 sets of true leaves. They need full sun, and will begin to explode with blooms as the summer weather sets in. Easy and so elegant.