AnnualsDiscover the right annual plants for your garden.
' Candy Stripe ' cosmos flower . pic by : Janet Loughrey
Cosmos is a flower warm - season annual normally grown from cum . A staple fiber of cottage - style borderline , cosmea raise cheerful daisy - like flowers from summertime into fall . Even beginner gardeners will enjoy success with this well-off to spring up flower .
Though individual flowers last just several 24-hour interval , the buds are produced in clusters along the bow for long - endure colour in bed , borders , container , or bring down flower arrangement . Here ’s how to maturate and practice cosmos plants in your yard .
On this page : Basics|Types|Planting|Care|Pictures|Using in the Garden|Frequently Asked inquiry
On this pageboy :
BASICS
Botanical name:
Cosmosspp .
Plant type:
Cosmos is a warm time of year yearly that is uprise from seed or starts . cocoa cosmos is a tender perennial grow from tuber or seed .
Zone:
Most cosmos are yearly in all zone . Chocolate cosmos is a tender perennial hardy in USDA zones 7 - 11 .
Exposure:
Full sun
Bloom time:
summertime until rime
Growth habit:
good or mounding branching habit
Height/spread:
1 to 5 foot tall , 1 to 3 feet wide-eyed
Foliage:
Green foliage can be ferned , deeply take apart , or fishgig - shaped , depending on the specie .
Flowers:
Daisy - like flowers 2 to 5 inch blanket have single , duple , semi - double , or fluted petals encircling a icteric or chocolate-brown center . The blooms occur in colors of white , pinkish , Battle of Magenta , burgundy , yellow-bellied , orange , apricot , or chocolate , with some bicolored or multi - colored . Petals can be labialize , ruffled , or fringed .
Benefits and other attributes:
Cosmos flowers are attractive to butterfly and other louse pollinators , while the come head are a food source for songster and other wildlife . Cosmos may reseed themselves in the next growing season , though some loan-blend may not make out true from seed .
Are cosmos plants poisonous?
cosmea are not toxic to pets or child , though the ingestion of any cosmetic flora may cause meek discomfort .
Are cosmos plants deer resistant?
Cosmos are resistant to deer browse , though it ’s potential to obtain some damage if other intellectual nourishment origin are scarce .
HOW TO PLANT COSMOS FLOWERS
Photo by Dean Clarke / Shutterstock .
Cosmos can be planted from semen , tubers , or nursery - grown starts . A much broader choice of garden cosmos is available when growing plant from seed .
Where to plant:
Plant cosmos in a website with average well - drain soil that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun .
When to plant:
Sow seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last middling frost date . lineal sow seeds outdoors when all danger of Robert Frost has transcend .
Soil:
Cosmos are tolerant of a orbit of dirt condition , but will execute good in median soil with good drain and a pH of 6.0 to 8.0 . Avoid implant in rich soil , which can do plants to become leggy or descend over .
How to plant:
COSMOS CARE
Watering:
Cosmos are drouth tolerant once prove . Water once a week or more often during heating plant spells . For containers , body of water when the top 2 inch of soil feels juiceless . forfend over - watering and overhead lachrymation , which can lead to fungal disease or other job .
Amendments and fertilizer:
Cosmos need petty or no supplemental fertilizer . Soil that is too eminent in nutrients can cause plant life to produce more leafage at the expense of bloom .
Pruning and deadheading:
Young plant can be pinch to encourage more branching , which will leave in a shaggy habit and more blooms . Wait until seedling are 8 to 12 inches tall and snip the top several inch of the main bow to just above a band of leaves . Deadhead spent cosmos flowers regularly to further more blossom . After most of the flower have evanesce , cosmos plants can be sheared back by up to a third of their size to make new growth and blossom .
Support:
Taller plants may need staking or other funding so they do n’t fall down over .
Pests:
When given the right growing conditions , cosmea are resistant to most plague and disease . Pests can includeaphids , Japanese beetles , leafhoppers , wanderer mitesandthrips . Young seedling may be prostrate toslug or escargot damage .
Diseases:
Diseases , which are mostly due to overwatering or inadequate air circulation , can include aster yellows , bacterial wilt , botrytis , curly top computer virus , fusarium wilt , powdery mold , and bloodless smut .
POPULAR COSMOS VARIETIES
Photo by : Janet Loughrey
' Apricot Lemonade’Cosmos bipinnatus
Habit:
Compact branching habit
Height/Spread:
20 to 30 inches tall , 12 to 18 in wide
Uniquely colored petal are sonant apricot - yellow with lavender undersides . A mauve - pinkish tintinnabulation encircles the bright yellow center for a striking burden . Plant this modest form in a cottage - elan edge or butterfly garden .
' Candy Stripe’Cosmos bipinnatus
upright piano branching drug abuse
3 to 5 feet marvelous , 1 to 2 feet wide
bombastic individual flowers 3 to 4 inches wide have a yellow pith circle by white petals abut or striped with carmine - pink . The bicolored flowers , which are variable , create a striking consequence in beds and borders . utilise this taller variety towards the middle of a sundry perimeter or naturalise in a hayfield garden .
Photo by : Walter Erhardt / Shutterstock
' Purity’Cosmos bipinnatus
3 to 4 feet tall , 1 to 2 feet wide
This authoritative miscellanea has large pure white flowers 4 to 6 inch across that are produced on tall stems . Makes a superb cut flower . works in a cutting garden or cottage - style edge . Plants may benefit from post .
' Rubenza’Cosmos bipinnatus
Compact spreading habit
24 to 42 inches tall , 24 inches wide
This unusual variety has showy flowers 3 inches across that open to thick crimson - violent , tilt to shades of dusky rose and terra - cotta as the heyday historic period for a multi - hue effect . This heavyset bushy annual can be used to occupy in gaps in a miscellaneous border or to edge a cottage - style game .
' Sea Shells’Cosmos bipinnatus
Unique cannular petals resemble sea plate , hence the name . flower fall out in colors of ruby , pinkish , or snowy . Mass in a moulding or bring down garden for a sensational effect in the landscape painting . This taller miscellanea will benefit from staking to keep plants from fall over .
' Sensation’Cosmos bipinnatus
One of the most commonly grown cosmos , ‘ whiz ’ is an accolade - winning variety with bloom 3 to 4 in across in shades of pink , magenta , and white . engraft this magniloquent cosmos at the back of a bungalow - mode border or cultivate alongside other wanton - to - sow annuals .
' Bright Lights’Cosmos sulphureus
Open branching habit
2 to 3 feet tall , 1 to 3 metrical foot wide
Semi - double flowers come in vibrant hues of yellow , orange , and red . Mass this shorter species in a curbside airstrip or bungalow - style border . Also known as Klondike cosmos , diversity include ‘ Bright Lights ’ , ‘ Cosmic ’ series , and ‘ Diablo ’ .
' Xanthos’Cosmos bipinnatus
20 to 26 inches grandiloquent , 12 to 18 column inch wide
Ruffled petals are wan yellow with a creamy white ring , creating a subdued pastel essence in the landscape painting . Pair with lavender or pastel blue blossom for complementary line . This shorter miscellany can be used to edge borders and pathways or planted in containers .
' Xsenia’Cosmos bipinnatus
18 to 24 inches tall , 18 inches wide
The strange food color of ‘ Xsenia ’ flower can be variable depending on the luminance , with tropical hues of pinkish , peach , rise , apricot , and coral . Use this dwarf variety to edge borders or pathway , or combine in container with other quick - time of year annual .
Photo by : guentemanaus / Shutterstock
Chocolate CosmosCosmos astrosanguineus
2 to 3 groundwork tall , 1 to 2 feet encompassing
Unlike other cosmos species , chocolate cosmos is a tender perennial maturate from tuber . The unusual flowers are a fertile velvety reddish - brown with a chocolaty fragrance , hence the name . impart a sophisticated look to containers , beds , or practice as a unique focal full stop . In recent years , Modern strains have been rise that can be grow from cum . salmagundi admit ‘ Choca Mocha ’ and ‘ Black Magic Chocolate ’ .
USING COSMOS PLANTS IN THE GARDEN
Photo by Gardens by Design / Shutterstock .
There are many ways to expend creation in your landscape painting . Here ’s how :
For borders and landscape : Taller variety can be used as a screen background plant , while shorter cosmos can be used as edging or in mass planting .
For slopes and hillsides : Broadcast semen along a slope or hillside for long - hold up color .
For containers : Plant succinct varieties in containers by themselves or in compounding with other warm - season yearly with like growing motivation .
