About this variety
What to expect from Love Lies Bleeding
Love Lies Bleeding is an annual ornamental and grain amaranth selection grown for ornamental heads, edible leaves or grain where appropriate, dye types, and seed saving.
Read the complete product descriptionTraits, flavor, garden use, variety notes, and the full catalog record
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. Beneath the show lies resilience-this centuries-old variety thrives in heat, drought, and lean soil where lesser flowers fade.
About Love Lies Bleeding
Love Lies Bleeding is an annual selection of ornamental and grain amaranth, with a trailing habit and an expected height or spread of 61–72 in. It is best suited to ornamental heads, edible leaves or grain where appropriate, dye types, and seed saving. Notable traits include harvest flower heads when seed is mature and begins to release with rubbing; young leaves are mild; mature seed has a nutty grain character.
When growing Love Lies Bleeding, judge the whole planting for trueness to type instead of selecting conclusions from one unusually large or early plant.
History and provenance
Amaranths were domesticated and diversified in more than one region for grain, leafy greens, ornament, and dye. Species and seed-lot identity matter: Amaranthus tricolor leafy types should not inherit Mesoamerican grain-amaranth history, and culturally named dye lines require provenance beyond the name alone. Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus) Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth is one of the most ancient and symbolically rich heirlooms in cultivation, known as much for its cascading crimson tassels as for its deep historical and cultural roots. The species originates in the highlands of South America, where Indigenous peoples-most notably the Inca and their Andean predecessors-cultivated Amaranthus caudatus as a sacred grain known as kiwicha. Alongside maize and quinoa, it formed a cornerstone of pre-Columbian agriculture and nutrition, valued for its protein-rich seed and resilience in the thin soils and harsh climates of the Andes. In Incan society, amaranth held ceremonial importance that extended far beyond food. The tiny seeds were blended with honey or human blood to form ritual effigies representing deities of fertility and renewal-then ceremonially consumed in acts of communal reverence. 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. Love Lies Bleeding has traveled the globe since its Andean origins, capturing the imaginations of gardeners from Incan terraces to Victorian estates. Today, it remains a botanical icon of passion and endurance-an heirloom that transforms any bed or border into a cascade of living fire.
Growing facts
| Scientific name | Amaranthus caudatus L. |
|---|---|
| Life cycle | Annual |
| Maturity | 90-99 Days |
| Germination | 5-10 Days at 70–85 °F |
| Seed depth | 1/4 in |
| Plant height / spread | 61–72 in |
| Growth habit | Trailing |
| Spacing | 12 in between plants; 24 in between rows |
| Sunlight | Full sun |
| Soil | Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5 |
| Water | Moderate |
| Support | No-Support |
Starting Love Lies Bleeding from seed
Sow 1/4 in deep and keep the seed zone evenly moist. Expect emergence in 5-10 Days when the seed-zone temperature is near 70–85 °F. Germination preparation: Use a fine, evenly moist seed-starting mix or prepared seedbed. Light requirement: Cover evenly to 1/4 in. Soaking: None required. Stratification: None required. Scarification: None required.
Planting and care
Plant during late Spring and provide full sun. Space plants 12 in apart with 24 in between rows. Use loamy with a pH near 6.0–6.5, and follow a moderate watering plan. Support requirement: No-Support. Frost response: Tender. Medium to large container or in-ground bed; avoid crowding
Harvest and use
Approximately 90-99 Days, from warm direct sowing to mature flower heads or dry seed. Weather, soil temperature, and planting method can shift the actual harvest date. Harvest: Harvest flower heads when seed is mature and begins to release with rubbing. Uses: Ornamental heads, edible leaves or grain where appropriate, dye types, and seed saving. Flavor: young leaves are mild; mature seed has a nutty grain character. Seed saving: Wind and insect-pollinated annual. Best uses include ornamental heads, edible leaves or grain where appropriate, dye types, and seed saving. Flavor and eating quality: young leaves are mild; mature seed has a nutty grain character.
Saving seed
Select several healthy, true-to-type Love Lies Bleeding plants that match the expected trailing habit and overall plant form. Avoid saving seed only from the earliest or largest individual unless that is your deliberate selection goal. Pollination system: Wind and insect-pollinated annual. Amaranth can cross within compatible species and populations. Separate compatible varieties that may flower together, or use cages, barriers, hand pollination, or another documented control appropriate to the crop. Allow selected plants to pass the eating stage and reach full botanical seed maturity. Harvest only when seed heads, pods, or fruits have matured enough for sound seed development. Clean the seed carefully, dry it thoroughly away from direct heat, label the lot with variety and year, and store it cool, dark, and dry. Test germination before an important planting or distribution season.
Common problems
Common concerns: Leaf miners, aphids, flea beetles, damping-off, Cercospora or other leaf spots, and root problems in waterlogged soil. Management: Rotate crop families, remove badly affected leaves, improve airflow, and keep the root zone moist but not saturated. Diagnosis note: Similar symptoms can have different causes. Compare plants of the same age, record weather and irrigation, and use local Extension or diagnostic support before applying a control.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions - Love Lies Bleeding
When is Love Lies Bleeding ready? Use 90-99 Days. Approximately 90-99 Days, from warm direct sowing to mature flower heads or dry seed. Weather, soil temperature, and planting method can shift the actual harvest date.
How long does germination take? Expect 5-10 Days at about 70–85 °F. Cooler, hotter, crusted, saturated, or dry seedbeds can slow emergence.
How large does it grow? Expect about 61–72 in with a trailing habit. Space plants 12 in apart and rows 24 in apart. Support: No-Support.
Can it grow in a container? Medium to large container or in-ground bed; avoid crowding Use a container with drainage and enough volume to maintain the listed spacing and steady moisture.
Can I save seed? Wind and insect-pollinated annual. Keep compatible varieties isolated and allow selected plants to reach full seed maturity.
