QIS formula Mix Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa 'QIS Formula Mix')
gom-FREE-nah glo-BO-sah 'QIS Formula Mix'

Annual in the Amaranthaceae Family

Gomphrena globosa, commonly called Globe Amaranth, is a heat-loving annual native to Central America and long grown as a garden and cut-flower plant worldwide. It forms a dense, upright, rounded clump of narrow, hairy gray-green leaves, 12 to 24 inches tall, topped from early summer through frost with round, clover-like flower heads about 3/4 inch across.

The color of those flower heads actually comes from papery bracts rather than true petals -- the true flowers are tiny, whitish-yellow, and tucked within the bracts, easy to overlook. This papery texture is why the flower heads keep their color and shape so well even after being cut and dried, a quality that has made the species a long-time favorite for everlasting arrangements. It is the parent species of many garden cultivars and series, including the dwarf 'Gnome' strain and Ernst Benary's Las Vegas series.

Pros

  • Long bloom season, early summer through frost
  • Excellent heat and drought tolerance once established
  • Clover-like flower heads hold their color well, even dried
  • Low maintenance and largely pest- and disease-free

Cons

  • Tender annual; killed by the first hard frost
  • True flowers are tiny and inconspicuous -- color comes from papery bracts, not petals
  • Needs full sun and good drainage to perform well
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 12 - 24 inches tall. 6 - 12 inches wide.
Sun Exposure Full Sun - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 2a - 11b (Usually hardy to -50° F)
Tags Annual, Full Sun, Full Sun, Medium, Medium
Bloom Period June to frost
Flower Color

Photos of This with...

Fresh Look Orange Celosia, Kent Beauty Marjoram, Fairy Queen Mealycup Sage, Flare Scarlet Sage,
 
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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!