Cosmos: what is it?

This annual plant offers magnificent flowers to colors varied according to the species and varieties, from June to November. Its vaporous foliage door light flowers that come alive with the wind. With double or single flowers, to sow or to plant, the cosmos are easy to grow and require very little care. You will enjoy it both in the garden and in a bouquet.

Appellations

The cosmos is part of the family Asteraceae (Asteraceae).

Botanical description of the cosmos

Cosmos are annual plants, often on the rhythm of perennial plants because they reseed themselves spontaneously from one year to the next. The foliage is very thin and cut, green in color and the flowers can be single, semi-double or double, solid color or two-tone in bright or tender tones. Pink, yellow, purple, white and many other colors are counted among the cosmos. The heights of the varieties, which vary from 30 centimeters for the dwarfs to 1.80 meters for the giants, make it possible to create floral levels in the beds and to mix the varieties to give relief to both a pot and a flower bed. Here are some of the most cultivated species:

• Cosmos sulfureus : with small yellow-orange flowers;
• Cosmos atrosanguineus or cosmos ‘Chocolate’: it has the particularity of having a chocolate color and smell;
• Cosmos bipinnatus (bipinnate cosmos): with large flowers of multiple colors.

Origins of the cosmos

Cosmos are native to Mexico and the southern United States.

Cultivation requirements of the cosmos

The cosmos are sown on a sunny location and in a well-drained soil, from March to April. For sowing, place the seeds one centimeter deep and keep the terrine or pot in a sheltered room at 20°C. Keep the soil moist. When the young plants are 10 centimeters tall, transplant them into pots that you will only take out once the last frosts of May have passed. To sow directly in the garden, do it from the month of May. For planting, wait for the end of the spring frosts and operate from April to June, depending on the region. Space each foot 40 centimeters apart for giant cosmos and 20 centimeters apart for dwarfs. If you plant a cosmos in a pot, carefully monitor the frequency of watering. Watch the young plants because the snails and slugs often come to visit them. Do not forget to stake the cosmos with high stems because they could bend under the force of the wind. Mulch the foot cosmos in order to preserve the humidity so appreciated. Pinch the ends of the stems regularly to promote the densification of the stems. In dry weather, water the feet. Regularly remove faded flowers to maintain abundant flowering.

Use of the cosmos

Use cosmos in the background of a large planter to bloom and add height. Whether the cosmos sulfureus Where bipinnatusgrow them in a massive perennials or on the edge to delimit spaces. Compose a romantic or rustic bouquet with cosmos, roses and dahlias. Cultivate traditional colors: pink with ‘Candy Strip’ or ‘Apollo Pink’ and white like ‘Sonata White’ or ‘Purity’. Also dare to use original colors such as bright red with the ‘Rubenza’ variety, purple with ‘Éclipse’ or straw yellow with ‘Xanthos’. Very floriferous, the cosmoses are much visited by pollinating insects. So sow a flower meadow to save the biodiversity.