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Cosmos
- Cosmos bipinnatus
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Cosmos - (Cosmos spp.)
How would you like to own a
universe? This will probably never happen but you can grow a plant which produces
"showy flowers" in an "orderly arrangement of cosmic
proportions". Cosmos is the flower you should grow.
These
beautiful annual and tender perennial plants are found wild in Mexico.
They'll grow from 18 inches to 6 feet high. The leaves are 3 to 5 inches
long and finely divided. The single or double flowers are 2 to 6 inches
across and come in a variety of colors.
Spanish priests grew cosmos in their mission gardens in
Mexico. The evenly placed petals led them to christen the flower "Cosmos," the Greek word for harmony or ordered
universe. Cosmos, like many of our warm weather annuals such as
marigolds, originated in Mexico and South America.
Cosmos belongs to that vast family of plants known as
Compositae. Although there are 20 known species of cosmos, two annual
species, Cosmos sulphureus and Cosmos bipinnatus, are most familiar to home
gardeners. These two species are most easily differentiated by leaf structure and flower
color. The leaves of C. sulphureus are long, with narrow lobes and hairy
margins. The flower colors of this species are always shades of yellow, orange or
red. The C. bipinnatus has leaves that are finely cut into threadlike
segments. The foliage looks similar to ferns. The flowers are white or various shades of pink to dark
rose. They bloom in the summer and early fall.
Are you a chocaholic? Then you'll love
this! It is Cosmos atrosanguineus, commonly known as Chocolate Cosmos. It isn't the colour which gives it its common
name, but the delicious smell. The chocolate cosmos (cosmos
atrosanguineus) is a pretty tender perennial that grows up to 2 feet high with a spread of 18
inches. It is one of those few plants that gets even non-gardeners
excited.
Firstly, as the name implies there is something distinctly chocolately about this
plant. The dark green leaves are spoon-shaped and divided and sometimes shaded with
purple. The maroon-crimson, single flowers are produced on thin stems from late summer until the first
frost. No, its not just the colour of the flowers, although they are a wonderfully deep and dark rich brown to
purple. It is the scent which is unmistakeably chocolate. Adults and children alike love to smell the flowers which give off a rich and delicious smell throughout the
summer.
All
species of Cosmos are very fragrand. Hummingbirds are very attracted to this
flower.
Don't be too quick to pull up withering cosmos at the end of the
season. Birds (particularly gold finches) enjoy snacking on their seedheads in
autumn, and the seeds that they miss may fall to the ground, rewarding you with a whole new crop next
year.
Fresh
Cosmos flowers can used as cutting flowers for vases. They are suitable for
drying.
Source:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/
plantanswers/flowers/cosmos/cosmos.html
http://www.botanyworld.com/cosmos.html
http://gardenspace.newarchaeology.com/chocolate_cosmos.php
