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MEET THE 2023 ANNUAL OF THE YEAR™ – TRUFFULA™ PINK GOMPHRENA

Top 3 reasons to grow Truffula™ Pink Gomphrena

PROFUSE BLOOMS
If you want something that keeps its foot on the gas blooming over and over from spring into fall, this is the plant for you. You’ll have plenty of flowers to clip for fresh and dried bouquets.

BIG BANG FOR THE BUCK
Don’t let its dainty pink blooms fool you—this is one big plant! Be sure to give it some elbow room to grow when it hits its stride midsummer.

HEAT AND DROUGHT TOLERANT
Live in a hot climate where water is limited? Truffula Pink flourishes in heat and tolerates some drought.

Contributors: Susan Martin

 

When the summer sun shines, Truffula Pink globe amaranth takes center stage in container recipes where it works as both a thriller and filler. Its exceptional size and hot pink blooms can transform a container from ho-hum to fabulous in a matter of weeks. Pair it with other vigorous, sun loving plants like Supertunia® petunias, Rockin’® salvias, Luscious® lantanas and more to create huge, dazzling upright containers.

 

GET READY FOR SEASONLONG FIREWORKS!

  • Combines good looks with grit
  • Playful pink blossoms explode with tiny rays of yellow
  • Blooms all season without having to remove spent flowers
  • Can be used in fresh and dried bouquets
  • Grows quickly to fill open spaces
  • Blooms best in 6+ hours of sun
  • Heat and drought tolerant
  • Pronounced “gom-free-nah”

Don’t let its whimsical pink blooms fool you—this is one tough plant! The upright, airy structure of this unique annual acts as a vertical exclamation point wherever you plant it. Try it as a thriller in large containers or plant a whole mass of it in your landscape where you can watch it entice pollinating bees and butterflies to stop by for a midday snack.

You’ll have plenty of flowers to clip and enjoy in long-lasting fresh and dried bouquets. One of their most unique features is that they dry nearly the exact same color as the fresh blossoms. So, no matter when you choose to clip them, they’ll be beautiful in your arrangements.

Give this sizable annual plenty of elbow room to grow. It’s fun to watch it flourish during the summer heat, keeping its foot on the gas and blooming non-stop from spring into fall. “Pretty perseverance” is this plant’s mantra. Plan on your neighbors ringing the doorbell to ask, “What are those gorgeous flowers?”

 

 

  USES  


HANGING BASKETS


UPRIGHT CONTAINERS


GARDEN BEDS

  PLANTING  

 

PLANTING YOUR HANGING BASKET OR UPRIGHT CONTAINER

  • Truffula Pink has a very full, upright mounding habit so you will only need one if you are planting it with companions in a 12” or larger hanging basket. It works best if you set it in the center of the basket so the other plants have room to fill in around its feet.
  • We recommend using an upright container that’s at least 14 to 16” in diameter—the larger the pot the better.
  • Truffula Pink can be grown alone or with companions if the container size is sufficiently large.
  • How many plants you’ll need depends on the container size, how vigorous the plants you choose are, and how quickly you’d like the container to fill in. Our container recipes generally recommend using 4 to 6 plants to fill a 14” container.
  • Space the plants equally in the container so it fills out on all sides, positioning Truffula Pink in the center.
  • Use a good quality potting soil in your container. Better potting soils are light in texture and weight, and water drains easily through them.
  • Mix a bit of slow release plant food into the potting soil before you add the plants. Follow the package instructions to know how much to use. This will ensure a small amount of food is available to the plants’ roots over the season.
  • Water your newly planted container immediately to help the soil settle in around the plants’ roots.
  • Truffula Pink can be grown alone or with companions if the container size is sufficiently large.
  • How many plants you’ll need depends on the container size, how vigorous the plants you choose are, and how quickly you’d like the container to fill in. Our container recipes generally recommend using 4 to 6 plants to fill a 14” container.
  • Space the plants equally in the container so it fills out on all sides, positioning Truffula Pink in the center.
  • Use a good quality potting soil in your container. Better potting soils are light in texture and weight, and water drains easily through them.
  • Mix a bit of slow release plant food into the potting soil before you add the plants. Follow the package instructions to know how much to use. This will ensure a small amount of food is available to the plants’ roots over the season.
  • Water your newly planted container immediately to help the soil settle in around the plants’ roots.

Though Truffula Pink globe amaranth does grow well in large containers, where it really shines is in the landscape. There, it will have plenty of room to reach its full potential and will nicely fill in an area in short order. It makes a welcome addition to garden beds, borders and cutting gardens.

Since this plant blooms continuously all season, it can be dotted along the length of a garden bed where its hot pink color will tie everything together into one cohesive design. Since it matures to 22 to 28” tall, make sure the plants you grow behind it are at least two feet tall so they don’t get covered up. Similarly, you could plant a row of Truffula Pink behind a short evergreen hedge to provide a long-lasting pop of color.

Truffula Pink can also be used for a seasonlong supply of cut flowers. The clipped plants will quickly fill back in, keeping fresh flowers coming all the way until frost.

 
 

PLANTING YOUR GARDEN BED

  • Truffula Pink is a low maintenance plant in the landscape. Unless you live in very warm zones 9-11, you’ll need to replace it each spring because it won’t survive a cold winter.
  • If you are planting a grouping of Truffula Pink and want the plants to grow together with no bare spots in between, space them about 12 to 18” apart.
  • Truffula Pink requires well-drained soil that won’t stay wet for long after a hard rain. You may need to amend your soil with a good quality garden soil, compost, or humus/manure mix to improve the drainage before planting. If you garden in very heavy clay, you may have better luck growing this plant in a raised bed or container.
  • Mix a bit of slow release plant food into the soil before you add the plants. Follow the package instructions to know how much to use. This will ensure a small amount of food is available to the plants’ roots over the season.
  • Water your newly planted Truffula Pink Gomphrena immediately to help the soil settle in around the plants’ roots.

 

 

  CARE  


SUNLIGHT
 
  • The eventual size and robust development of Truffula Pink is, in part, dependent on the amount of sunlight you give it. It will grow and bloom the strongest when it receives at least 6 hours of sun per day. Its growth isn’t nearly as impressive in shade, so we don’t recommend it.
  • Though this plant is certainly whimsical and pretty, it is resilient in high heat and moderate drought. ​It won’t wilt in all-day sun or in the heat of those lazy hazy days of summer.

WATER
 
  • Well-drained soil will help this plant perform to its full potential. Making it sit in wet soggy soil is a miscalculation, causing the fun to fizzle.
  • Plants growing in the ground tend to dry out more slowly than plants growing in containers. That means they may not need to be watered quite as often. Truffula Pink likes the soil to dry out a bit between each time you water it.
  • Since this plant does not usually wilt to let you know it is thirsty, you can do the finger test until you get to know your plant. Stick your finger down in the soil up to your second knuckle. If the soil sticks to your finger, it is moist enough to make it through another day without watering. If not, it’s time to water.
  • Never let your containers dry out to the point where the plants wilt. That may mean they need to be watered anywhere from every other day to more than once per day, especially as the summer’s heat sets in, depending on your growing conditions.
  • If you don’t have much time to water or if you tend to travel in the summertime, consider investing in a WaterWise® Self-Watering Kit. It saves time and water, is simple to use, and waters up to ten containers at once from a single faucet. Or even easier, use self-watering AquaPots® and you’ll only have to water once a week.
 

PLANT FOO

  • If you are growing Truffula Pink by itself in the landscape, it won’t require frequent feeding. However, if you are growing it among “hungrier” flowers, it won’t hurt it to get a few extra meals in.
  • At time of planting, add some Proven Winners continuous release plant food to the soil in your garden bed. Follow the package instructions for rates.
  • About once per month, feed it with Proven Winners water soluble plant food to provide a quick burst of nutrients to the plant.
  • Any brand of plant food meant for flowers will work for your hanging baskets. But we recommend Proven Winners water soluble and continuous release plant foods because they are specially formulated with micronutrients to help our varieties grow bigger, stronger, and bear more flowers.
 

TRIMMING

  • Unlike many annuals, Truffula Pink globe amaranth does not need to be trimmed periodically throughout the season. Plan on it growing large and taking up a lot of space in your garden bed. If the clump starts to open up a bit, new growth will quickly fill in the middle. If you need the plant to be shorter or want to harvest some flowers for bouquets, you can safely remove about 25% of it without harm.
  • Trimming off the spent flowers won’t be needed to keep this plant blooming non-stop all season.
  • You may find that rabbits are doing the job of trimming your Truffula Pink for you when you grow it in the landscape. If this happens, use an animal repellent like Plantskydd® or Liquid Fence® to help protect your plant from browsing. It will recover and produce new growth once it is protected.
  • If you are growing filler and spiller plants in an upright container with Truffula Pink, you’ll want to give those companion plants a haircut about once per month between midsummer and fall. That will keep them growing with renewed vigor and you’ll have a fuller basket as a result.

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