Celosia Intenz - Purple Spiky Fall Annual in Front Porch Containers

Like most 'basic' suburban folks who drive a minivan and have a massive Park District 'activity' bill, we normally doll-up our front porch in the fall with Mums.  Costco has those big ones and Nat usually just makes the move for mums on her own.  They're easy to tend to, usually put on a good show and feel quite seasonal for the fall these days, right?  I'm sure that we'll do them soon.

But I also called an audible and picked up an annual on a whim:  these Celosia Intenz.  I had a couple of plastic pots laying around (I think from Mums last year!?!) and planted a pair of these in the pots and put them on the front porch. 

Also, for those wanting to dig through the archives, I've posted about mums here on the blog over the years.  Last year, I gave a 'pro-tip' to tie your mums up.   Also, I guess our mums from the Fall of 2011 survived the winter and I ended up planting them in the ground in the Spring of 2012 and *like magic*, they did well all season. 

Menards and Home Depot are showing them right now next to the Mums, so I'm assuming that this is going to be an on-trend fall annual and we should be expecting these on our neighbor's front porches across the suburbs.  Welp, I'm claiming trend-setter status if that happens. 

According to this Garden.org post, this is a relatively new variety that flowers all Summer (and fall, I hope?) that is pretty hardy. 

If you're looking for something to add pizzazz to your container plantings or garden beds this summer, check out Celosia 'Intenz', a new offering from Ball Ingenuity. But you better put on your sunglasses first! This annual bears spiky plumes of an incredible deep reddish violet all summer long, adding a jolt of intense color as well as unusual texture to any planting. 

The flamboyant color of this cultivar of Celosia caracas will grab attention no matter where you plant it -- in window boxes, containers, or in the landscape. Its compact size -- just 10-14 inches tall and 12 inches wide -- and mounded, upright growth habit make it a versatile choice for many different settings.

You can get a sense for the flowers in the top photo.  Thinking the'll be a nice complement to the mums to welcome the season - and our friends/family - to the #NewOldFarmhouse.