Flower of the Week: Cosmos
Native to Mexico, cosmos is a member of the Compositae family. With slender foliage and lovely, vibrant flowers, it’s often planted along streets, highways, and railroads, and can grow in fields or flower gardens to bring beauty to the landscape. You can also harvest it as a cut flower to decorate your room or give to a loved one.
Cosmos flowers attract many pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies, which go on to pollinate neighboring plants.
Cosmos are beautiful and easy to grow, so they are very popular. Horticulturists have hybridized them to produce colorful varieties of cosmos, such as pure white, lovely pink, and bright red, etc. The rich colors make it even more sought after. Come on, pick one, there’s gotta be one for you.
In addition to the common single cosmos, there are also elegant and luxurious double varieties, such as the ‘Double Click’ series, which comes in a variety of colors. Its layered petals look like they are cascading down the skirt of a gorgeous dress.
The cosmos variety called Double Click
The petals of the ‘Cupcakes’ variety are gamophyllous, united together like a cupcake. Slightly translucent in the sun, with refreshing white and light pink colors, it is one of the trendiest varieties nowadays.
Cosmos’ genus name, Cosmos, implies that its exquisite flowers contain a small universe within them. With its sunny and romantic appearance, its flower language speaks of beauty, peace, order, and humility. You can give cosmos to your loved one because it also says the following: “Thank you for walking with me on this journey. I would like to be with you for the rest of this long life.”
Cosmos is also the birthday flower for October, so if you were born in October, you should plant yourself a big bush of cosmos.
If you look up “plants that are the easiest to grow” online, the cosmos will definitely be on the list, because it’s known for needing only simple care. As long as its requirements for soil, light, and water are met, it’s guaranteed to flourish in your garden.
Cosmos is an annual plant that can grow in most areas. It prefers moist, well-drained soil, ample sunlight, and at least 6 hours of light per day. Plant it somewhere that is not shaded by buildings or trees.
Cosmos doesn’t require much water and can tolerate drought; just wait until the soil is dry and water it. Cutting off wilted flowers reduces nutrient consumption and helps your cosmos bloom again.
Size: 30-120 cm (1-4 in) tall
Hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zones 2-11
Light: Full sun
Soil: Moist, well-drained
Bloom time: Summer or fall