Cosmos -- Bright and Easy

I love cosmos with their tall stems and daisy-like blooms. Cosmos look like wildflowers and look best (at least to me), when they have plenty of room to spread out into big, crazy masses of color. Cosmos like sunshine and poor, dry soil. In fact, rich soil causes weak, spindly plants.Cosmos is an excellent addition to a cutting garden or meadow. However, cosmos may not be the best choice if you like a neat, well-manicured garden because the plants tend to reseed themselves, (sometimes generously).

You can plant cosmos fairly close together and the plants provide their own support. Otherwise, you may have to stake the plants to keep them from blowing over, as some varieties tower at 4 to 6 feet. If tall plants don’t appeal to you, dwarf varieties are available and just right for the front of a flower bed.

The traditional cosmos color is a delicate pastel-lavender, but cosmos also come in yellow, orange, pink, white, red, and even picotee – meaning the flowers have edges of darker, contrasting colors. Although you can buy bedding plants, cosmos are extremely easy to grow by seed.

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