Amaranth--Our Summer Garden Drama Queen

Hopi Red Amaranth shares the garden with other flowers.

Have you ever had a "drama queen" in your family? We called ours "DQ" for short. 

This is the person who will not go unnoticed and provides depth and emotion to life.

I have a drama queen, but in plant form, in our garden. Officially, it is Hopi Red Amaranth, Amaranthus cruentus. When the summer heat turns up, I know it is her turn to provide drama!

She is native to North America and has been cultivated both as a food plant and natural dye for at least 6,000 years. Nearly the entire plant is edible. We enjoy the young greens in salads or cooked like spinach. Sometimes in the fall we will dredge the flower bracts in tempura and deep-fry them alongside other vegetables.

In the vase, I like to trim off the leaves to allow the flowers to take center stage. As summer progresses, the flower tassels lengthen, sway, and gracefully arch under their own weight. Your vase water will turn pink! That is an added feature for this extremely red plant. As Bob Ross said, "You have to have the dark in order to show light." I add amaranth to every arrangement and cup of flowers to provide dark drama.

Give her just a little propping up, and she will grow over six feet tall, waving "look at me!" with her tassels. She also reseeds freely!

Speaking of reseeding freely, once established, she is very tough. This summer (2026) we have the toughest plant I have grown flourishing in the most unexpected place. When you stop by to pick this summer, please visit the crack in our driveway where "Fred" has established her claim. Nope, I did not sow her, plant her, water her, or encourage her in any way. Yet, there she stands, with cars passing on either side of her each day. Somehow, she thrives! Many in the neighborhood will mourn when "Fred" either succumbs to an opening car door or chilly winter weather.

Many a drama queen will surprise with their toughness and ability to survive. Our Hopi Red Amaranth is one tough, beautiful plant!

"Fred" is the toughest plant I have ever grown!