Love-lies-bleeding (tassel flower) care

Light

Most houseplants will scorch where love-lies-bleeding thrives. Give it the windowsill you'd otherwise leave empty because everything else burned there. Demands full sun for at least 6-8 hours daily. Full sun produces the tallest, most vibrant tassel plumes; partial shade results in weaker, shorter stems and less intensely coloured flowers. Site away from tall structures or trees that cast afternoon shade. A plant moved abruptly from low light to direct sun bleaches in 48 hours — always acclimatise over a week.

Watering

Aim for when the top 3-5 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 5-7 days in summer for love-lies-bleeding, but treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. A south-facing summer windowsill will dry the pot twice as fast as a north-facing winter room. Lift the pot; if it feels noticeably lighter than it did wet, water it. Relatively drought-tolerant once established, but young plants and container-grown specimens need regular watering to establish and produce large tassels. Water deeply at the base; avoid overhead watering on the flower heads, as the dense tassels hold moisture and can rot. Reduce in cool or wet weather.

Soil and pot

Love-lies-bleeding grows best in moderately fertile, free-draining loam. Grows well in moderately fertile, neutral to slightly acidic loam (pH 6.0-7.0). Overly rich soil encourages leafy growth at the expense of flowers and weakens stems. Good drainage is important — soggy soil causes crown and root rot. In containers use a peat-free multipurpose compost with added perlite or grit. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Love-lies-bleeding sits happiest at around 35-60% humidity and 18-32°C (65-90°F). Tolerates a wide range of outdoor humidity. In very humid or still conditions, space plants 45-60 cm apart to provide airflow and reduce the risk of fungal stem diseases in the dense foliage. If you keep the room above 18 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed love-lies-bleeding sparingly. Apply a balanced granular fertiliser at planting. A monthly liquid feed with a balanced formulation during the growing season maintains healthy growth. Avoid high-nitrogen feeds, which produce excessive foliage and reduce stem strength. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on love-lies-bleeding in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Lodging (stem collapse) — In exposed, windy sites tall plants may topple — stake with bamboo canes tied loosely at stem nodes, or shelter from strong wind; avoid excess nitrogen which weakens stems.
• Leaf miners — Serpentine leaf-miner larvae tunnel between leaf surfaces, creating pale wandering trails — remove and destroy affected leaves; damage is rarely severe enough to threaten plant health.
• Root rot in waterlogged soil — Amaranthus is sensitive to waterlogged or poorly drained soil — always plant in free-draining soil or raised beds and avoid overwatering in cool, wet periods.

Propagation

Direct sow seeds outdoors after the last frost in warm soil (above 15°C), 5 mm deep; thin to 45-60 cm apart. Alternatively, start indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost at 20-24°C, but minimise root disturbance at transplanting. Self-seeds prolifically in mild climates. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Love-lies-bleeding is mildly toxic to pets. Amaranthus caudatus is not individually listed as toxic by the ASPCA, but the genus Amaranthus includes A. retroflexus (pigweed), which the ASPCA lists as toxic to dogs, cats and horses due to soluble oxalates. The ornamental species A. caudatus contains oxalates and nitrates at levels that may cause problems with large ingestion, particularly in livestock. As a precaution, treat as mildly toxic, discourage pets from eating it, and contact a vet if significant ingestion is suspected. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Love-lies-bleeding deep-dive guides

Every aspect of love-lies-bleeding care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Love-lies-bleeding watering schedule
• Love-lies-bleeding light requirements
• Best soil mix for love-lies-bleeding
• Love-lies-bleeding fertilizing guide
• When to repot love-lies-bleeding
• How to propagate love-lies-bleeding
• Love-lies-bleeding growth rate & size
• Love-lies-bleeding cold hardiness
• Love-lies-bleeding temperature & humidity
• Is love-lies-bleeding toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is love-lies-bleeding toxic to cats?
• Is love-lies-bleeding toxic to dogs?
• Getting love-lies-bleeding to bloom

Featured in these plant shortlists

Love-lies-bleeding qualifies for 4 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best drought-tolerant houseplants — Houseplants that prefer to dry out — forgiving of forgotten watering and ideal for travel or busy weeks.
• Best flowering houseplants — Indoor plants grown for their blooms — selected from the flowering species in Growli’s plant-care library.
• Best houseplants for full sun — Houseplants that want direct sun — the species for a hot south or west-facing windowsill where shade-lovers scorch.
• Best fast-growing houseplants — Houseplants documented as fast or vigorous growers — quick to fill a pot, cover a pole or trail down a shelf.
• Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Love-lies-bleeding is also known as love-lies-bleeding, tassel flower, velvet flower, pendant amaranth, and quilete.

• Compacta Holly care — light, water and common problems
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• All 6887 plant care guides in the Growli library