You have most likely seen flower bouquets and arrangements in late summmer and autumn with vivid bright red and orange flowers; which look most unusual.
These are Celosia argentea, the flowers have a velvety or feathery appearance, and there are two main types.
The feathery type remind me of our native toi toi flowers, but they are much smaller in size than toi toi. These are the Plumosa group.
The other type are commonly called 'brains' as the form of the flower is cauliflower or brain like. These are the Cristata group.
This year we have grown both types in our gardens, and have enjoyed using them to make bright bouquets and arrangements for our customers.
Colours are bright and mostly in the red and orange to yellow tonings. The plants are annuals and originate in tropical areas of Africa and Asia.
If you search in early summer, you can find seedlings of dwarf types in local nurseries ( they don't seem to grow the tall ones) ; they are quite easy to grow in a fertile soil in a sunny warm spot in the garden. We bought in seed of the tall varieties that we need for floristry.