Seeds 5 g

Kochia, the Burning Bush or Summer Cypress (Bassia scoparia, syn. Kochia scoparia), is grown not for flowers but for its remarkable foliage. The fine-leaved ornamental form carries a soft cloud of feathery, bright green leaves through summer that shifts to vivid scarlet and burgundy as autumn nights cool. Forming a tidy rounded to columnar bush, it works beautifully as a single accent plant or, set close together, as a quick bushy hedge or screen.

Planting

This warm-season annual needs full sun and average, well-drained soil; it tolerates neutral to alkaline and even slightly acidic or saline ground, suiting much Egyptian soil. Surface-sow the seeds and press them gently onto the soil, as they need light to germinate. Soaking overnight speeds emergence. Germination takes about 10 to 15 days at roughly 21 to 24 degrees. Sow 2 to 4 seeds per spot and thin to the strongest seedling. Space specimens about 60 to 70 cm apart, or around 20 cm for a dense hedge.

Fertilizing

Apply an all-purpose fertilizer early at planting to help young plants establish. Through the summer growing season, feed with a nitrogen-containing fertilizer to encourage the lush, full, feathery foliage that makes this plant so ornamental.

Care

Water moderately to keep the soil evenly moist while plants establish; thereafter it is heat- and drought-tolerant with medium water needs. Reducing water in late summer deepens the scarlet color. Choose a spot sheltered from strong wind, since the tall form can rock. It is generally trouble-free, with no serious pests or diseases. The bush reaches about 0.6 to 1.5 m tall and 0.3 to 0.45 m wide.