Tips for Planting and Growing Cosmos

Bright, cheerful and showy cosmos are a wonderful addition to just about any style of garden. These fast growing annuals are hardy, easy to grow and provide blooms for most of the summer. Here are some tips for planting and growing cosmos that you can use to add these pretty plants to your own garden.

Native to Mexico, cosmos are one of the most popular varieties of plants grown in flower gardens across the country...and with good reason. These drought tolerant flowers are remarkably easy to grow and require very little care. They can be grown in zones 3-10 and typically reach heights ranging from 2-6 feet, depending upon the variety of cosmos as well as the growing conditions.

Cosmos bipinnatus, more commonly known as lace cosmos, are the plants that most people think of when they picture cosmos. They feature a bright yellow center surrounded by daisy-like petals in shades of white, pink and purple. Also popular are the C. sulphureus, or sulphur cosmos, which feature petals in brilliant shades of yellow, orange and even red.

As far as gardening goes, there aren't many plants that are easier to grow or take care of than cosmos. To plant them from seed in the spring simple sprinkle the seends and cover them with about 1/8" of soil. Cosmos can also be grown from seedlings either started indoors or purchased from a nursery, although it is typically just as easy to grow them from seed outdoors.

Cosmos prefer sunshine, so be sure to find a spot to plant them that receives at least 1/2 day of sun. The plants are fast-growing and can flower as soon as several weeks after planting. In warmer zones they will flower from about May-November. Cosmos are drought tolerant and don't require a lot of watering which makes them very low maintenance.

After the cosmos begin to bloom you can keep new blooms coming by deadheading old flowers to encourage new. About mid-summer the blooms often thin out. When this happens you can cut the entire plant down to about half it's original height to spur more flowering for late summer.

At the end of the growing season you can collect the seeds from the flowers and store them in a cool, dry place to use again next year.

Cosmos make wonderful cut flowers for arrangements, look great in container gardens, make wonderful borders and are fantastic for filling in between other plants in your garden. Because they bloom most of the summer they are wonderful for adding constant color.