Commonly known as globe amaranth, Gomphrena globosa is an easy-to-grow flower that’s the perfect addition to your summer garden. It continues to bloom with aplomb when other summer flowers start to fade from the extreme heat, adding much-desired, non-stop color right through frost. Gomphrena encompasses many varieties, cultivars, and hybrids in a spectrum of colors, such as ‘Bicolor Rose,’ ‘Pinball White,’ and ‘Purple Red,’ all of which you may plant in drifts for an eye-catching display. Alternatively, fashion a monochromatic look using ‘Bicolor Rose’ and ‘Pinball Purple,’ especially in recreational spaces where the deep purple tones add a sense of calm. If you’re looking to create vertical contrast, complement your amaranth with the related species Gomphrena haageana. Since it’s taller, it’ll add an airy texture and movement to the yard. 

But pleasant as it may be to watch gomphrena’s globular, papery bracts, or the modified leaves surrounding the true flowers dancing above the sea of green foliage, you can enhance their display with ornamental companions. Whether your gomphrenas are the stars of a cottage garden or grow happily along pathway borders, there are several companion options, including zinnias, marigolds, dahlias, lavender, salvia, verbena, and other flowering ornamentals. But before we get into more detail, ensure your chosen companions are hardy in your USDA zone. They must also share the same cultural requirements as gomphrenas, such as full sun, moist soils, and minimal fertilization.

In hot climates, gomphrenas are valued for their ability to endure the bestial summer heat without breaking a sweat. Their drought tolerance further adds to their appeal. If you maintain informal settings, such as cottage, prairie, or rock gardens in such areas, consider massing gomphrenas with popular summer annuals like zinnias and cosmos — especially if they tend to grow tall. Club shorter varieties with marigolds, calibrachoa, petunias, or lobelia. Stick to hot colors like red, yellow, and orange, as they don’t fade out during the dog days of summer.

If you’re hoping to bring more pollinators into your yard and garden, team gomphrenas up with lantana and mecardonia. Such combinations attract butterflies and hummingbirds by the dozens, particularly when the flowers are in shades of red and pink. Milkweed, pentas, and ageratum are other suitable pollinator-friendly companions.

However, if you enjoy decking every nook and corner of your home with a vase chock-full of flowers, chances are you keep gomphrenas in a cutting garden — the long-stemmed ‘Quality-In-Seed (QIS) Series’, in particular. In such themed lots, mix in drifts of black-eyed Susan, sunflowers, dahlia, or pinks, and weave gorgeous floral arrangements. Be sure to snip the stems in the early morning for a longer shelf life. But if you plan on making potpourri with dried petals, utilize love-in-a-mist, lavender, strawflower, or statice as companions.

Since deer have little interest in gomphrenas, these summer bloomers can be used in flower beds and edges or to frame pathways. But don’t leave them feeling lonely; instead, complement them with tall specimens like salvia and celosia. Not only will they add height, but they’ll also provide a textural contrast with their airier stems foregrounding the strawier, bushier gomphrena mounds.

In contrast, if you’d like to pot up gomphrenas in seasonal planters, including patio urns, hanging baskets, or window boxes, think creatively and experiment with different combinations. Use the simple formula of thriller, filler, and spiller when designing a container garden. Tall gomphrenas can be treated as accents or focal points (“thrillers”), while their low-growing counterparts can be used as fillers. Globe amaranth, variegated red fountain grass, and ‘Silver Falls’ dichondra, as filler, thriller, and spiller, respectively, are one such combination.

Play up the visual contrast by picking blooms in complementary or triadic colors. For instance, if you’ve planted magenta-flowering gomphrenas — arguably the most planted variety — complement it with chartreuse or yellow-toned companions, like an ornamental sweet potato vine. For a triadic scheme, pair the gomphrenas with blue-green foliage (think ‘Queen Victoria’ salvia) or orange lantana and verbena flowers.