Plant Encyclopedia

Other Names:  Bachelor's Button

Group/Class:  Buddy Series

Description:

This dwarf variety is excellent for both garden and container use; purple globe flowers appear in late spring and bloom into fall; extremely tough, enduring hot, humid conditions; great for sunny border fronts as well

Ornamental Features

Buddy Purple Globe Amaranth has masses of beautiful purple ball-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its oval leaves remain green in colour throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Buddy Purple Globe Amaranth is an herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Buddy Purple Globe Amaranth is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Buddy Purple Globe Amaranth will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity extending to 12 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. This annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Buddy Purple Globe Amaranth is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.