Plant Profile: Love Lies Bleeding

By Sarah Battersby

/May 27 2014


 

Love lies bleeding

Love Lies Bleeding, paired with another showstopper, the Castor Bean plant.

In the category of ‘plants with personality’, Love Lies Bleeding is outstanding. The Latin name is Amaranthus caudatus, and like other amaranth plants, it is edible. Young leaves of amaranth can be used as salad greens, they’re similar in taste to beet greens or spinach. The seeds are also edible. This amaranth in particular is best grown as an eye-catching annual.  Tassel flower, another of its common names is very descriptive, as the mature flowers resemble heavy red tassels which droop down pendulously. The bright green leaves contrast twith the red stems and flowers, and the plant works very well when paired with burgundy, as in this one in the picture with the castor bean plant.