the flower expert

online flowers encyclopedia

Cosmos

Genus Cosmos has about 20 species of annual and perennial plants in the Asteraceae family, the family of sunflowers, Daisies and Asters. Cosmos genus includes, Cosmos bipinnatus, commonly known as Mexican Aster and Cosmos sulphureus, Yellow Cosmos , and Cosmos atrosanguineus Chocolate Cosmos.

Kingdom

Plantae

Division

Magnoliophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Asterales

Family

Asteraceae

Tribe

Heliantheae

Genus

Cosmos

Cosmos flowers are produced in a capitulum. Cosmos flower Capitulum is surrounded by a ring of broad ray florets and a center of disc florets. There is a lot of color variation in between the species. Cosmos flowers are 2-4 inches in diameter. Cosmos flowers come in brightly colored single or double flowers which include white, pink, orange, yellow, and scarlet colors.

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• Cosmos are herbaceous perennial flowering plants.
• Cosmos flower plants grow to 3-6 feet tall.
• The leaves of Cosmos plant are simple, pinnate, or bipinnate, and are arranged in opposite pairs.
• The word Cosmos is derived from the Greek, which means a balanced universe.
• Cosmos flower blooms twice a year and only once in the season.
• Cosmos flowers blooms heavily, but dies with first frost.
• Cosmos flowers can regrow in the following spring if seed falls on bare ground.
• Cosmos flowers occurs in Solid pink, white, maroon, and pink with deep pink flares.
• Cosmos flowering plants can be grown quickly and successfully in all regions.
• Cosmos seeds are miniature pine needles.
• Cosmos seeds are one of the easiest seeds in the world to grow.
• Chocolate cosmos or Cosmos atrosanguinea, fills the air with its sweet scent of vanilla tinged chocolate.
• Lace cosmos have more rows of petals, and have ferny foliage of a very delicate texture. Cosmos sulphureus plant leaves resemble those of marigolds (member of the Compositae, to which Cosmos belongs).

Growing Cosmos flowers

• Sow the cosmos seeds directly just before the last frost.
• Give 12 inches of space between the plants.
• Spread the cosmos seeds over freshly turned bare soil.
• Press the seed into the dirt, and do not cover the seed.
• Cosmos seeds germinate quickly.
• Cosmos plants normally grow to 4-5 feet in a season.
• Most of the Cosmos varieties are annuals, but there are perennial varieties also.
• Perennial varieties of cosmos are Rhizomes and can be propagated by division.

Caring Cosmos flowers

• Spent flowers should be deadheaded regularly, as it keeps cosmos in bloom for many weeks.
• Overfertilizing and overwatering reduces the flower production.
• Cosmos flower plants are drought tolerant but water Cosmos plants during long dry spells.
• After the plants die after the first frost, remove them, and keep as compost, which helps as mulch for the next year plants.