From what I can see, I would agree that the last picture looks like self-heal, Prunella vulgaris and it appears to be close to blooming - I see one young bloom. Self-heal will have purple blooms - and to my knowledge amaranth doesn't bloom in that color. So it should be easy for the OP to tell either way very shortly. FataMorgana Here is a link that might be useful: Google images - prunella vulgaris

I'm going to try again, because interestingly the thread didn't move to the front page... maybe because GW thought I was a 'guest'... Here's my post in case it doesn't carry over (and if it did, sorry for the duplication): I apologize for the old thread resurrection, but you guys weren't kidding! Last year I freecycled a *lot* of HRDA, and left two. Didn't get nearly as much seed from them so wasn't concerned. Today went to the gaura bed to compare what I had growing in a jug as gaura (it wasn't, dang it, just more weeds so far), and oh my stars I have another bumper crop of HRDA coming in! LOL! I'm not freecycling this batch, I'm gonna eat 'em! And *if* I spare one, I'm bagging the seed head before I pull it down. I did it wrong last year. Found a recipe at dandelion herb dot com, for anybody else who might be facing this "abundance" this year: "Steamed Greens with Feta Steam greens --wild and cultivated --beet greens are especially good with mallow (Malva spp.) and purslane (Portulaca oleracae). Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) also is scrumptious. Remember to use young greens for a most tender treat. Saute garlic in olive oil, add steamed greens and crumbled feta. Delicious."

Interesting. I have eaten amaranth both the cultivated Asian ones and the wild ones. If they were poisonous I would be dead 100 times over. The "cultivated ones " are the ones you can buy seeds in the seed catalog Asian section. Normally leaves are light green, green with maroon veins or now they have a maroon/purple leafy one. Planted that last summer and very tender when young. The wild one is the one referred to here as a weed aka pigweed (although I do not agree with the description. A weed is a plant out of place, so anything in the right environment can be a weed if it does not belong there at that time).Anyway perfectly healthy to eat. Only draw back is that the wild one has a more earthy taste compared to the cultivated Asian varieties. The leaves also might have small hairs so raw eating does not sound appetizing but sauteed they are pretty good.

Hi Chrissie, This is one of my favorite types of gardening...the type where you can cut the flowers and bring them inside and enjoy them and not feel guilty for leaving the flower beds 'bare' since these flowers are meant to be cut. I'm going to list these by flower color, because I always try to grow some flowers of every flower color, starting with green. I'll be repeating some types that folks have already listed because I want to include each one in its color group. Many flowers, like zinnias, cosmos and amaranths/celosias come in many colors so you'll see them listed in each group GREEN False Queen Ann's Lace--Ammi majus 'Green Mist' Love Lies Bleeding--Amaranth caudatus 'Emerald Tassels' Butterfly weed--Gomphocarpus 'Oscar'--grown for its round seed pods which are pale cream to green and fuzzy, a common nickname for it is "hairy balls" Bells of Ireland--Moluccella laevis--A tall, spiky plant. Doesn't like our heat so I grow it for spring cutting and then again for fall. Celosia--the plume type Celosia argenta plumosa 'Sylphid' gets 2-4' tall and has green flowers Celosia--the crest type Celosia argentea Cristata 'Cramer's Lemon Lime' is a mixed yellow-green Sunflower 'Jade' Zinnia--Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Lime', 'Envy' and others. A new one I'm eager to try this year is Queen Red Lime which has lime green center petals surrounded by redish-pink ones For other greens, I add various sprays of herb leaves before the herbs have flowered, including mints and basils, just for the vibrant green leaves and aromas. BLUE: Ageratum houstonianum--Ageratums come in several colors like blue, purple and white. There are short ones and tall ones, so be sure you get the taller ones for cutting like 'Tall Blue Planet' or 'Blue Horizon' Larkspur--Consolida ambigua--available in mixed packs with blues, purples, pinks, or whites. A few places sell them in single packs. For example, Johnny's Selected Seeds (www.johnyseeds.com) has 'Azure Blue', 'Dark Blue' (my fae larkspur color) and a bicolor that is a purplish-bluish with a little white on it Lisianthus--Eustoma grandiflorum--hard from seed, but are perenial and can be planted from nursery transplants. Many named blue ones, and available in pinks and whites and purples as well. Bachelor's Button--Centaurea cyanus--'Florist Boy Blue' is a blue one you can buy separately, but you also can buy bachelor's buttons in packs of seeds that have blues, pinks, purples and whites mixed together. Statice--Limonium sinuatum--Available in single colors from some suppliers or in a mix with many other shades in pink, purple, blue, white, yellow, apricot, peach, etc. Love-in-a-Mist--Nigella damascena--usually available in a mix that has pink, blue and white flowers Petunia--Petunia hybrids--mostly play out in summer heat, but great in spring or fall. Blue Wave and Explorer Blue are two good ones. Salvia--I grow the old-fashioned Salvia farinacea and it is perennial here in southern OK. 'Gruppenblau' is a superior strain of salvia farinacea. There also are named perennial varieties like "May Night" that can be used as cutting flowers. The only blue-flowered herb I can think of it Borage which has blue flowers (a white-flowered one also is available). PURPLE: Petunia hybrids--Purple Wave is easy to find. Laura Bush Purple is available as seed from Wildseed Farms and tolerates heat incredibly well. Laura Bush Purple reseeds in my garden. False Queen Anne's Lace--Ammi majus--"Black Knight" Larkspur--Consolida ambigua--available in mixes or as a single in shades of lilac, a laveder-pink called "Dark Pink" or the "Bright Carmine" one, which is a fuschia-purple Ageratum--Ageratum houstonianum "Red Top"--to me, this isn't red at all but more of a fuschia with a lavender tinge Statice--Limonium sinuatum--usually comes in a mix. "Pacific Mix" has purple shades along with whites and pinks. Purple coneflower--Echinacea purpurea is the common one, and Echinacea pallida has narrower petals and is called Pale Purple Coneflower. Celosia argentea cristata--"Bombay purple"--Although the word purple is in its name, it is more of a burgundy red, and this is common of any of the amaranths or celosias that have burgundy in their name. Tall verbena--Verbena bonariensis Zinnia--zinnia elegans--can be found in a single-color or mixed color seed packet. I think the one I have is sold as 'Purple Prince' Herbs with purple flowers include catmint (Nepeta mussinii) and wild bee balm (Monarda fistulosa). Some basils (Queenette, Blue Spice and Sweet Thai) have burgundy flowers, and other basils have deep purplish-blue leaves, including 'Red Rubin', 'Purple Ruffles' and 'Dark Opal'. Hyssop (Hyssopus officialalis) has blue-violet flowers, as do many lavenders. RED: Amaranths--Amaranthus caudatus 'Love Lies Bleeding' and 'Opopeo' and many others as well. Flowers a deep burgundy-red to maroon. Blanket Flower--Gaillardia grandiflora--A common wildflower type one is available as are some named varieties. Most ared red with yellow tips, although yellow, burgundy and a new sort of orangey one exist. Bee balm--Monarda didyma--named red ones are available. Perennial. 'Panorama Red Shades' is one that is powdery mildew resistant. Celosia argentea cristata--Crested types of celosias, often available in packets of mixed (yellow, red, burgundy, pink, salmon) colors. Nasturtium--Tropaeolum 'Empress of India' and "Cherry Red" are available among others. Both short, trailing types and climbing types of nasturtiums are available, often in mixed color seed packets. Globe Amaranth--Gomphrena 'Strawberry Fields. Very heat tolerant. Has reseeded where our rural gravel driveway meets the gravel road where it survives on rainfall only, even if rain is only falling once a month. Petunia hyrids--some are a true red and some are a purplish-burgundy red. Pinchusion Flower--Scabiosa-atropurpurea--Most often found in mixed colors that usually include white, pinkish-maroon, lavender and a maroon-red so dark it is almost black. There's a blue one usually offered as a perennial plant. Salvia--Salvia coccinea--many named varieties are available as is Hummingbird sage in a mix of red, pink and white. Sunflower--Helianthus annuus--Some red to burgundy types are available in mixes and others are sold in single-color packs. These include 'Moulin Rouge', 'Velvet Queen' and 'Chocolate' which is a brownish-red. A commonly sold mix that includes reds is 'Autumn Beauty' and there are some yellow-and-red bicolors like 'Ring of Fire' and 'Strawberry Blonde'. 'Earthwalker' has earth tones in reds and oranges. Zinnia--many named varieties of red Zinnia elegans are available in single-color or mixed-color packets. ORANGE: Butterfly Weed--Asclepias--available in single-color packs or in mixed color packs of red, orange and yellow Pot Marigold--Calendula officinalis--many shades of orange and apricot available (and a few yellows), mostly in packs of mixed colors. Nasturtium--Tropaeolum majus--usually found in packets of single colors, but 'Peach Melba' is sometimes found in a single color pack as are several others that are pale orange in color. Marigold--Tagetes spp.--Many types available, in single colors and bicolors, tall ones and short ones, small flowers and large flowers. Statice--Limonium sinuatum--available in many colors, in single color or mixed color packs. 'Sunset Mix' has shades of apricot, peach and orange shades. Sunflower--Helianthus annuus--"Soraya" has orangey-yellow petals. Mexican Sunflower--Thithonia spp.--gorgeous flowers on very bushy plants that need lots of space. The flowers are butterfly magnets. 'Torch' gets 4 to 6' tall while 'Sundance' gets 2-3' tall and 'Fiesta de Sol' gets about 2 to 2 1/2' tall. All have small (in relation to other sunflowers) flowers that are a bright orange. Safflower--Carthamus tinctorius--bright orangey blooms sometimes with a reddish tint. Also available in a yellow form. Zinnia--Zinnia elegans and other spp.--Available mostly in mixed color packs, but a few oranges can be found in single-color seed packets. 'Profusion Orange' has smaller flowers but lots of them. Cosmos--several orange cosmos are available. My favorite is the short one, 'Cosmic Orange', that gets about 12" tall and blooms profusely. YELLOW: Celosia--Celosia cristat--Many named varieties available in mixed color packets, sometimes in single packets. Pot Marigold--Calendula officianalis--often sold in mixed yellow and orange shade Marigold--Tagetes spp.--available in tall and short, large-flowered and small-flowered varieties, and in some bicolors. Coreopsis--Coreopsis tinctoria--There are many available. 'Early Sunrise' is one of the older ones and 'Rising Sun' is a more recent introduction. Black-eyed Susans--Rudbeckia hirta--many named selections available, including "Prairie Sun" and "Goldilocks" Sunflower--Helianthus annuus--Many named varieties available, with colors ranging from a pale ivory-yelloww like 'Italian White' or 'Buttercream' to lemony yellow ones like 'Sunrich Lemon' or 'Starburst Lemon Aura' to golden yellow like 'Sunbright Supreme" or "Sunrich Gold", to 'Giant Sungold'. Zinnia--Zinnia elegans--available in some single-color packs or in packs with mixed colors. Nasturtiums--Tropaeolum majus--Brighter yellow ones are often found in packets of mixed colors or 'Milkmaid' is a selection with pale yellow flowers. Dill--Anethum graveolens--Flat heads of tiny yellow flowers and that delicious aroma of dill can be added to bouquets. Dill is a great, airy filler. 'Bouquet' is one type grown to add to bouquets, and 'Fernleaf' has lovely foliage. WHITE: Larkspur--Consolida ambigua--available in mixed color seed packets or 'Sublime White' False Queen Anne's Lace--Ammi majus--"White Dill" Cosmos--Cosmos bipinnatus--available as mixed color or in single-color packets. A couple of the white-flowered ones are 'Sonata White' and 'Psyche White' which seems to be morphing into 'Psycho White' Zinnia--most white zinnias don't hold their white color well in full sun. 'White Wedding' is one that does Borage--Borage officinalis--A white flowered form is sold separately from the blue-flowered one. Salvia--Salvia coccinea--'Snow Nymph' is a white-flowered selection. Bachelor Button-Centaurea--'The Bride' is a pure white bachelor button. Marigold--Tagetes erecta--"Creamy Vanilla" in one white-flowered one and several others are available. Feverfew is an herb with small white daisy-type flowers that have yellow centers. PINK: Bachelor's Button--Centaurea Cyanus--Most often found in a mix that contains blue, white, dark red (maroon) and pink. Cosmos--Cosmos bipinnatus--Often found in packets of mixed colors. 'Picotee' is a white one with pink edges. 'Sea Shells' is a mixture of pinks and pinky whites. Larkspur--Concolida ambigua--Often found in mixed color seed packs that contain whites, pinks, blues, purples. You sometimes can find a dark pink and a light pink in single color seed packs. Celosia--Celosia argeantea spicata 'Flamingo Feather' is a plume type. Many rosy-pink to maroon-pink ones are found in mixed color seed packets of the crested types. Lisianthus--Eustoma grandiflorum--Hard from seed and available as packets of mixed or single colors. Petunia--Petunia hybrids--many pinks available. 'Laura Bush Pink', available from Wildseed Farms, is the most heat-tolerant one I've ever grown and reseeds for me. Pincushion Flower--Scabiosa atropurpurea--Mostly available in packets of mixed colors in pink, rose, white, dark red, maroon. Shasta Daisy--Leucanthemum spp--many are available, including 'Becky' and 'Crazy Daisy' Zinnia--Zinnia elegans--Often found in either mixed color or single color seed packets. Available in tall and short forms, with smallish flowers or larger ones. That's all I can think of right now. It is not an all-inclusive list for every color, and I didn't even mention roses and gladiolas, both of which come in almost every color. I cut a lot of wildflowers from the pastures too and will try to come back later and list some of the wildflowers that make new cut flowers. Some companies sell them in a mixed flower/color mix and some sell wildflowers in individual packets. Don't forget that you can grow ornamental peppers in a variety of shades, and I like to add a branch or two of the brightly-colored peppers to bouquets too. Ornamental grasses often have nice seedheads too that act as nice filler. Dorothy already mentioned some of the bulbs you can grow for cutting and I generally grow daffodils and hyacinths for that purpose. If you have flowers shrubs or trees, once they are budding in mid-winter or later, you can cut their small branches, put them in a vase of water and force them to bloom indoors. You can do this with forsythia, quince, redbud and flowering fruit trees like peach and plum. There are shrubs available that have lovely flowers that can be cut for blooms including the already-mentioned crape myrtles, but also hydrangeas and lilacs. I cut flowering branch tips from my Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-astus). For three years I grew my cutting flowers as a "Rainbow Garden" with the colors segregated from one another and lined up in the same sequence as the colors of a rainbow. It was fun, but required more planning and planting time than I have time to do now that I have a much larger and much more demanding veggie garden Hope this gives you some ideas. Dawn