Garden Notes: Love Lies Bleeding

I planted Amaranth for the first time this year.  The particular variety was Amaranthus Caudatus, Love Lies Bleeding and I will be planting it again!!

How it unfolded this summer:  I planted these from a packet of seeds in a row in the vegetable garden and didn't have the time to record what I was planting.  So...couldn't remember.  When they came up, I decided to put them in my tank garden to fill in some spots.

They had the ugliest leaves while they were growing and I told my husband that I thought I had actually planted Pig Weed.  I almost pulled them out.  Then I googled "plants that look like pig weed" For real.  And got my answer.  

Pig weed is in the Amaranth family.  And, is edible.  Then I read about Love Lies Bleeding and finally remembered that was indeed what I had planted.  So I waited out the ugly leaves and these plants got big!

So, so worth the wait and ugly leaves for the draping blooms I had to put in arrangements!  So, I will plant them again, but this time will leave them on the outskirts of the garden  so I can use them just for cutting.  I've experimented with drying them too.  Draped or hanging down...seems that either can work, depending what you want to do with them when they are dry.

And, that vase was actually a candle in it's former life...a great recycled object!

If you garden, are you planning for next year already?