Description

The heirloom that drapes the garden in living velvet. Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus) cascades in long, crimson tassels that sway like strands of silk in the summer breeze. Each plume can reach over two feet in length, pouring from upright stems in dramatic, blood-red streams that evoke both ancient ritual and timeless beauty. Beneath the show lies resilience—this centuries-old variety thrives in heat, drought, and lean soil where lesser flowers fade.

Plants reach 3–5 feet tall, crowned with lush green leaves and vivid scarlet blooms that continue from midsummer through frost. Once grown as both ornament and grain, its seeds were a sacred staple of Indigenous American agriculture and remain edible today—tiny, nutty, and high in protein. The striking tassels make excellent dried flowers or harvest decorations, holding their color long after cutting.

Love Lies Bleeding has traveled the globe since its Andean origins, capturing the imaginations of gardeners from Incan terraces to Victorian estates. Its name, first recorded in 16th-century Europe, echoes the symbolism of sacrifice and devotion once tied to the crimson amaranth in Aztec and Inca ceremonies. Today, it remains a botanical icon of passion and endurance—an heirloom that transforms any bed or border into a cascade of living fire.