The Cosmos that I shall be describing today is the flower Cosmos, not the book by Carl Sagan, or the Universe. The Cosmos is a pretty garden flower of the summer. The cosmos is native to Mexico and southern America. It is a daisy like flower in the composite family Asteraceae.
When I think of Cosmos I think of the delicate feathery fern like leaves which grow opposite each other on the stem. Depending on the variety the Cosmos will grow into a bushy plant 30-90 cm tall. The flowers growing to about 3 inches across are daisy like with petals around the yellow centre, some varieties are single some double. The cosmos can be red ,pink, gold, white there is one with a dark maroon flower that smells like chocolate , sorry chums you can not eat it . The chocolate Cosmos is a perennial but the others are annuals. The cosmos flower is good as a cut flower in your flower vase
The golden ladybird cosmos that this category is for is a dwarf cosmos growing to 12 inches /30cm tall so if you want a shorter cosmos this is ideal.. The taller cosmos can get blown over easily in a windy position these shorter flowers stand up better . This cosmos is pure gold , golden petals and golden stamens, it really glows in your flower beds. If you cut this flower for your vase it will last about 7 days inside .
The cosmos is a flower that will be in bloom from late June till August /September when a lot of other garden flowers are beginning to fade. The Cosmos really brightens the garden, and although I have noticed it apparently the cosmos attracts butterflies, I am growing some this year and shall take special note on sunny days to see if the butterflies do visit the flower for nectar
I shall sow my seeds in May in a pot in the greenhouse keeping the seeds moist. I will transplant them into the garden when they are big enough. Cosmos can be sown straight into the garden. Sow shallow in the soil.
You can buy Cosmos seeds both on and off line. They are reasonably prices at about £2. See http://www.unwins.co.uk/cosmos-double-click-seeds-pid964.html or http://www.johnsons-seeds.com/acatalog/flower_seeds_9.html for example. The chocolate cosmos is available as a bare root from http://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/ProductDetails.asp?ProductID=12130. 3 plants/roots cost £9.99.
So fill your summer garden with riots of colour from cosmos flowers held above their feathery lacy leaves, I shall.
