Overview

Celosia 'China Town' is a bushy annual biennial in the genus Celosia, part of the Amaranthaceae family, with deciduous foliage. Celosia 'China Town' grows best in full sun, and tolerates loam soils and neutral pH. Its UK hardiness is rated H2. Suggested uses include city and courtyard gardens, cottage and informal garden, houseplants, patio and container plants, bedding, conservatory and greenhouse, flower borders and beds and cut flowers.

About

Celosia 'China Town' is a cultivated Celosia in the Amaranthaceae grown as an annual biennial for its summer display. It forms a multi-stemmed, rounded habit with deciduous foliage and produces flowers from July to October. Plant in full sun on a south- or west-facing, sheltered position. It prefers neutral loam kept moist but well drained.

About the genus

Celosia is a small genus of edible and ornamental plants in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae. Its species are commonly known as woolflowers, or, if the flower heads are crested by fasciation, cockscombs. The plants are well known in East Africa's highlands and are used under their Swahili name, mfungu.

Wikipedia contributors, "Celosia", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Celosia

In the garden

Celosia 'China Town' is a named cultivar of Celosia in the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae). Treated as an annual biennial in UK gardens, it carries deciduous leaves and shows its flowering period between July and October. The plant's form is multi-stemmed and rounded, which makes it straightforward to place in mixed plantings. Position the cultivar in full sun on a south- or west-facing site that is sheltered from strong winds. Use a loam-based soil of neutral pH and keep soil moist but well drained; poor drainage will not suit it. Its hardiness rating is H2, meaning it is half-hardy and liable to suffer in frost, so bring pots under cover or avoid early exposure to cold weather. Celosia 'China Town' suits a wide range of urban and small-space situations: it works well in patio containers and conservatory displays, in flower borders and beds, and as a cut-flower source through the summer months. It is equally at home in courtyard or cottage-style plantings and can be grown under glass as a houseplant or in a greenhouse for an earlier display.

Growing conditions

Best soil and position for Celosia

Sunlight

Full sun

Soil type

Loam

Soil pH

Neutral

Soil moisture

Moist but well-drained

Aspect

South-facing or West-facing

Exposure

Sheltered

UK hardiness

H2

Plant details

Celosia 'China Town' size, habit and characteristics

Plant type

Annual Biennial

Habit

Bushy

Foliage

Deciduous

Suggested uses

City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Houseplants, Patio and container plants, Bedding, Conservatory and greenhouse, Flower borders and beds, Cut flowers

Care notes

Pruning and caring for Celosia 'China Town'

Propagation

Seed

Pest resistance

Generally pest-free

Disease resistance

Generally disease-free

Frequently asked questions