Cosmos bipinnatus seed
LATIN NAME: Cosmos bipinnatus
COMMON NAME: Cosmos
LATIN NAME: Cosmos bipinnatus
COMMON NAME: Cosmos
Cosmos is the airy, cheerful flower of the late summer border, and it sways on its fine stems above the lacy foliage in a light, open drift of colour. The single, saucer-shaped heads come in the clear pink, the rose, the crimson, the white and the warm orange, and the plant flowers for a very long stretch from the middle of the summer to the frost. The fine, feathery leaves give the whole plant a soft, delicate look, and it moves gently in the lightest breeze. It is one of the easiest and the most generous of the summer annuals.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Cosmos has a light but steady presence in the plant science. Researchers have studied the pigment chemistry of the petals, which has given the breeders the rich range of the rose, the crimson and the orange shades, and the plant shows up in the work on the annual garden flowers and the pollinator planting. The open, simple flowers are a fine subject for the study of the flower-visiting insects, and the plant keeps appearing in the practical growing guides. The breeding of the tall, the dwarf and the double forms is well documented in the horticultural journals, so the methods are reliable and well tested.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Cosmos is grown for the colour, and it is a mainstay of the summer bedding, the wildflower mixes and the cutting garden. The flowers are a rich source of the nectar and the pollen, and a drift of it in flower keeps the bees, the butterflies and the hoverflies busy through the late summer. The stems are strong enough for the cut vase, and the plant keeps producing if the spent heads are picked. It has drawn attention in the international horticultural press for its ease and its long flowering, and it asks for very little beyond the open sun and the well-drained soil.
The cosmos comes from the open, sunny ground of the warm parts of the America, and it has been carried to the gardens of the world as one of the easiest of the summer annuals. The single, open flowers are a fine food source for the bees and the butterflies, and the plant seeds itself lightly around the garden without becoming a nuisance. The tall forms make a fine, airy screen at the back of the border, while the dwarf forms fill the pots and the front of the bed. The flowers keep coming for a very long stretch, and a drift of it in the sun is one of the cheerful sights of the late summer.
Cosmos is one of the easiest seeds in the garden. Sow the slender, pointed seeds on the surface of pots of light, free-draining soil and cover them very thinly with a dusting of the same soil, then keep them in a bright, warm spot and water gently. The seedlings appear within a week or two and grow on quickly into sturdy young plants. Set them out in a sunny, open spot, and they will flower through the late summer and into the autumn with almost no attention.