Plant Library

Other Names:  Summer poinsettia

Description:

This variety will really stand out in your garden; emerging foliage is bright yellow maturing to green with yellow-gold variegation; fast growing and tolerates heat and poor soil; great for borders or containers

Ornamental Features

True Yellow Amaranthus' attractive textured narrow leaves emerge yellow in spring, turning green in color with showy yellow variegation throughout the season on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth.

Landscape Attributes

True Yellow Amaranthus is an herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It has no significant negative characteristics.

True Yellow Amaranthus is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

True Yellow Amaranthus will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. The stalks can be weak and so it may require staking in exposed sites or excessively rich soils. This fast-growing annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

True Yellow Amaranthus is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.