Gardeners can choose from many novelty types of celosias for the landscape. Dracula and Dragons's Breath celosias are eye catching.

Dracula Celosia

Seeds of this crested type celosia are available from Park Seed. The mid height plants are eight to 16 inches in height. This is considered a novelty type because the crested blooms are extra-large with an unusual shape with only one gigantic blossom per plant.

Instead of the usual cockscomb flower, Dracula celosias are noted for the coral-shaped, rippled, contorted flowers that can be eight to twelve inches wide. The upright blooms range from purple to red.

When grown in full sun, Dracula plants will have red to purple foliage. This variety is highly recommended for flower beds and borders as well as for flower pots and mixed planters.


Dragon’s Breath Celosia

Seeds of Dragon’s Breath celosia are available from Burpee, Twilley, and Park Seed. Plants are typically available during the fall at garden centers and nurseries.

Dragon’s Breath celosia is a brilliant colored plant with all of the plant parts being extremely showy and vivid. The leaves are maroon colored with an iridescence.

The large plant is up to two feet in height. It bears billowing plumes. It blooms heavily from mid summer through the fall months.

Dragon’s Breath celosia is recommended for mass plantings, bedding plants, flower beds and borders as well as pots, especially mixed planters. The stems can be used as a cut flower.

Very resistant to heat and humidity, this variety is easy to grow and very undemanding. Space the plants about 1½ feet apart in the garden.

For the brightest color, avoid over fertilizing it for it needs less fertilizer than most annuals. Keep the soil just slightly drier than usual to maximize the bright leaf color. Cool night temperatures also help the plant to maintain its color.


First Flame Celosia

This is a plume type celosia. All of the plants in this series are multi-branched and uniform. First Flame celosias are highly recommended for flower borders and containers as well as flower beds and mixed planters. Withstanding heat, the dense plants are around a foot to two feet tall and up to 1½ feet wide. In the garden, First Flame celosias can be spaced about ten to fourteen inches apart. These celosias proved to be outstanding at the North Carolina plant trials.

Tolerant of partial shade, this variety blooms earlier than most similar varieties, typically two weeks earlier than the Fresh Look series of celosias.

Within the First Flame series, the First Flame Purple blooms a week earlier than the other colors in the series.

First Flame celosias are named for the flame shape of the plumes. The flowers are non-fading. The mix includes a range of flower colors, including red, purple, orange, yellow, peach, apricot, and scarlet. The red is actually a scarlet orange.

First Flame Purple celosia was introduced in 2018, and is noted for the unique flower color as well as the thicker plumes.

Seeds of First Flame celosias are available from Park Seed and Harris-Garden Trends.