Cosmos: A Simple Annual Flower for the Garden

Remember the movie the Color Purple with Whoopi Goldberg?

In true Steven Spielberg fashion, the most memorable scenes in the movie is when the characters are walking in a field of purple cosmos.

In my garden, the purple, white, pink and orange cosmos are just starting to bloom and will bloom through September and early October.

Well, this simple flowering annual should be added to your garden next year, if you want a beautiful carefree appearance as cosmos mixes well with other annuals and perennials.
　
Cosmos is very easy to grow by seed (my preferred way) or you can purchase the plants from nursery and garden centers in flower packs. Flower packs of cosmos will provide a quick addition to your flowerbeds; however, plants grown from seed directly seeded appear to be much sturdier.

The cosmos is native to scrub and meadowlands of Mexico, parts of Florida and South America. There and there are over twenty species of this flower both annual and perennial. For most gardeners, the annual flowers are preferred.

Sow the seed directly into your soil, early to late May, and the plants will become well established. As with all seedlings, thin the plants so they are about 12 inches apart. If you don’t thin the seedlings, the plants have a tendency to be short, scraggly, and shallow rooted as they compete with each other for the soil spaces.
　
Cosmos produces an abundant amount of seed, and will easily re-seed them and you may have a second crop of plants emerging later in the summer. However, gold finches also love the seed heads.

Don’t let the birds consume all of the seeds as the seeds are easy to collect and you can plant them again next year in your garden without having to purchase seeds every year.

I put all my collected seed in glass jars in a cool part of my house and have more than enough seed to have a large cosmos planting year after year.
　
　

Orange Cosmos