7 Best Amaranthus Seeds For Adding Texture To Borders That Reseed Themselves

Every year, there’s a point in late summer when a garden border can start to look tired, with gaps appearing where early bloomers have faded. Filling those spaces year after year is a chore we hobby farmers just don’t have time for. This is where the magic of a good self-seeding annual comes in, and few perform with the drama and reliability of Amaranthus.

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Choosing Amaranthus for Self-Seeding Borders

The biggest appeal of Amaranthus is its "plant once, enjoy for years" nature. When you let them go to seed, you’re rewarded with a crop of volunteers the following spring, saving you time and money. But letting a plant reseed itself means giving up some control, and that’s the central tradeoff you have to accept.

You aren’t just choosing a plant; you’re choosing a future garden partner that will make its own decisions. Some varieties are aggressive spreaders, while others are more polite. Your main job becomes editing, not planting—thinning out the seedlings in spring to give the strongest ones room to thrive and prevent them from overwhelming everything else.

The key is to match the plant’s growth habit to your space from the very beginning. Think about height, form, and color. Do you need a tall, upright accent for the back of the border, or a cascading form to soften the edge of a raised bed? Choosing the right variety upfront is the difference between a self-sustaining design and a chaotic mess.

‘Love-Lies-Bleeding’ for Cascading Texture

This is the classic, dramatic Amaranthus that most people picture. Its long, chenille-like ropes of deep red or green flowers, called catkins, hang down towards the ground. It’s a plant that demands attention and provides a powerful, weeping texture that few others can match.

‘Love-Lies-Bleeding’ (Amaranthus caudatus) is at its best when it has room to spill. Plant it at the top of a retaining wall, along the edge of a tall container, or in the front of a border where its tassels can drape over the edge. It creates a sense of movement and abundance that can make a simple planting feel lush and decadent.

The practical consideration here is its sprawl. Those beautiful, heavy tassels can weigh the plant down, causing it to lean on its neighbors. Give it sturdy companions that won’t be smothered, like zinnias or cosmos, or be prepared to provide some support. It’s not a delicate plant, and it will muscle smaller, more timid plants out of the way.

‘Hopi Red Dye’ for Upright, Velvety Plumes

If you need vertical structure, ‘Hopi Red Dye’ is a fantastic choice. Instead of cascading, it sends up stiff, upright stalks topped with dense, velvety plumes of the deepest burgundy-red. The foliage is often dark as well, adding to its commanding presence.

This variety works beautifully as a "dot" plant in a border, creating rhythm and drawing the eye upward. Use it in the middle or back of a bed to create a dark, textural backdrop for brighter flowers like marigolds or rudbeckia. Its strong vertical lines contrast wonderfully with mounding or spreading plants.

While sturdy, its height (often 4-6 feet) can make it vulnerable in very windy, unprotected sites. In those situations, a single stake can prevent it from snapping in a late summer storm. The other benefit is its utility; the seeds have been traditionally used for dye and as a food source, making it a great multipurpose plant for a productive garden.

‘Coral Fountain’: A Softer Draping Accent

For those who find ‘Love-Lies-Bleeding’ a bit too bold, ‘Coral Fountain’ offers a similar cascading effect with a much softer touch. The flower tassels are a beautiful, dusty coral-pink and are generally more delicate and airy. It brings movement and texture without the sheer weight and drama of its darker cousin.

This variety is perfect for cottage gardens or more romantic planting schemes. Its unique color pairs beautifully with silvers, blues, and pale yellows. Imagine it weaving through the gray foliage of artemisia or spilling next to the blue spires of salvia. It’s a team player, adding texture without stealing the whole show.

Because of its paler color, placement is key. Against a light-colored fence or wall, it can get lost. Give it a dark green or burgundy backdrop to make its soft color truly stand out. It self-seeds reliably but seems slightly less aggressive than ‘Love-Lies-Bleeding’, making it a bit easier to manage year to year.

‘Elephant Head’: A Unique, Fasciated Form

This one is a real conversation starter. ‘Elephant Head’ (Amaranthus tricolor) develops a massive, singular flower head that is fasciated—meaning its growing point has fused into a wide, flattened, and contorted shape. The result is a bizarrely beautiful, deep maroon crest that looks like a piece of coral or a brain.

‘Elephant Head’ provides a texture unlike any other plant. It’s not soft or feathery; it’s dense, convoluted, and architectural. Use it as a focal point where its strange form can be appreciated up close. A single plant in a large pot or three grouped together in a border creates an unforgettable statement.

The tradeoff for this incredible display is that it’s a heavy feeder. That massive flower head requires a lot of energy, so it performs best in rich, well-amended soil. If your volunteers start popping up in poor soil, they may produce much smaller, less impressive heads. To get the full "elephant" effect, make sure the chosen spot is fertile.

‘Red Spike’ for Bold, Vertical Flower Spikes

While ‘Hopi Red Dye’ has soft, feathery plumes, ‘Red Spike’ (Amaranthus cruentus) is all about sharp, defined structure. It produces multiple, smaller, intensely red flower spikes that stand straight up like candles. The look is more energetic and less brooding than its plumed relatives.

This is the perfect plant for adding sharp vertical accents throughout a border. Because it produces many spikes per plant, it creates a more fiery, busy effect than the single-plume varieties. Plant it in drifts of three, five, or more to create a powerful block of color and form that carries through the late season.

Its self-seeding is reliable, and the seedlings are easy to identify and thin. The main thing to remember is that its impact comes from repetition. A single ‘Red Spike’ can look a bit thin and lonely, so plan on letting a small cluster of volunteers grow together to achieve the intended effect.

‘Green Thumb’: A Compact, Chartreuse Choice

Not all Amaranthus have to be towering giants of red or burgundy. ‘Green Thumb’ is a more compact variety, typically staying under two feet tall. It produces quirky, upright, finger-like plumes of a vibrant chartreuse green.

Its smaller size makes it incredibly versatile. It’s one of the few amaranths that works well at the very front of the border, where it won’t block the view of plants behind it. It’s also an excellent choice for large mixed containers, adding a textural, upright element that lasts all season.

The real power of ‘Green Thumb’ is its color. That electric lime-green acts as a fantastic foil, making every color around it look richer and more vibrant. Place it next to deep purples, hot pinks, or dark reds to create stunning, high-contrast combinations. It’s a humble workhorse that elevates the entire planting design.

‘Autumn’s Touch’ for Bicolor, Textural Wands

For a plant that evolves with the season, ‘Autumn’s Touch’ is an outstanding pick. It produces tall, elegant flower wands that are a mix of creamy green and soft bronze-pink. As the season progresses and temperatures cool, the bronze and pink tones intensify, making it a perfect bridge into the fall garden palette.

This variety offers a more subtle and sophisticated look. Its upright, slightly arching form and muted, bicolor tones blend beautifully with ornamental grasses, sedums, and other autumn-blooming perennials. It provides late-season structure and color without the shocking brightness of some other annuals.

The beauty of ‘Autumn’s Touch’ is its dynamic nature. It doesn’t look the same in October as it did in August. This makes the garden feel alive and responsive to the changing seasons. It self-seeds well, and the resulting plants will carry on that beautiful, season-extending display for years to come.

Ultimately, incorporating self-seeding Amaranthus is about embracing a bit of planned chaos. By choosing a variety whose height, color, and form fits your vision, you can guide that chaos into a beautiful, low-effort border that gets better every year. You’re not just planting a flower; you’re setting in motion a living, evolving part of your garden’s future.