How to Grow Cosmos Flowers
Identify Cosmos bipinnatus cultivars., Learn more about Cosmos atrosanguineus aka Chocolate Cosmos., Learn about Cosmos parviflorus., Consider growing Cosmos sulphureus aka Yellow Cosmos .
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Identify Cosmos bipinnatus cultivars.
This species of the Cosmos genus is the one most often seen in cultivation, in gardens and in cut flower arrangements.
It's also an ingredient in many wildflower mixes and offered in many catalogs.
This species has become a weed problem in some regions due to its fast growth and vigorous reseeding.
It is easily recognized by it's fine cut foliage resembling a dill plant.
This species can grow 2 to 4 feet on average and may grow even taller in more fertile soil.
The original variety has starry, single, daisy-like flowers in shades of pink, pink and purplish-red, but there are many other cultivars:
Sensation This cultivar is very easily found in the seed section of many stores.
Sonata This is a dwarf, smaller variety that grows only two to three feet tall Seashells has petals around the center disk that are fluted like trumpets.
Psyche cultivars have flowers unusually in semi-double form and irregularly sized petals.
Bon-Bon kinds are full, like pom-poms.
Many of the double or semi-double cultivars will occasionally produce different flower shapes on the same plant or from seeds in the same package.
There are many more color forms that can be listed in this article.
These are solid (single) colors, bicolored (two colors on one bloom) and some with different colored blotches and streaks on one bloom.
Some varieties even change colors as the flower ages and sometimes one plant will have different flowers of varying colors on the same plant.
There are also several cultivars that are a very pale lemon/creamy/primrose yellow color.
However these are quite rare and are in limited supply in many specialty garden catalogs. -
Step 2: Learn more about Cosmos atrosanguineus aka Chocolate Cosmos.
This species originated in Mexico but is now extinct in the wild.
It only survives in cultivation as clones from division or tissue culture.
This flower is more of a perennial than the other species listed in this article.
It forms a tuber which can be dug up in colder winter climates and stored indoors until spring the following season, like a Dahlia bulb.The name comes from not only the dark maroon red-brown color of the flowers but also from the chocolate-vanilla scent the plant gives off in late summer.
This species also has larger dark green to burgundy leaves than other species in this article, and may be mistaken for a Dahlia or Coreopsis plant. , This species shares a height and flower color with Cosmos bipinnatus, but looks a bit more fragile.
This flower is a North American native from Southwest parts of the country and is sold in stores specializing in Native American wildflowers.
However, in other regions, it has become a weedy wildflower. , As its name implies, this species is often yellow, or more accurately a bright, neon, yellowish orange.
This species can produce flowers in shades of deeper orange to a very interesting orangish-red as well.
The leaves of this variety are also coarser (more like parsley) than other species of this group.
This species also tends to be shorter two to three feet tall and is sturdier, making it a great plant for more formal landscapes.
This species can be confused for a Coreopsis or Bidens plant and older botanical texts list it under Coreopsis.
Coreopsis produce rounder seeds while Cosmos seeds are skinny and needle like.
Also the yellow disk of Coreopsis is bushy and powdery looking while Cosmos centers are looser and have little "flowers" and black "needles" in the center.
Bidens is another yellow daisy wildflower that has lots of species all over the world.
The seed has two to five barbs on the end that stick to fur and clothing and also the flowers are smaller than Cosmos with more weedy looking plants.
This plant can be called Beggar-ticks, Stickseeds or Tickseed Sunflowers. -
Step 3: Learn about Cosmos parviflorus.
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Step 4: Consider growing Cosmos sulphureus aka Yellow Cosmos .
Detailed Guide
This species of the Cosmos genus is the one most often seen in cultivation, in gardens and in cut flower arrangements.
It's also an ingredient in many wildflower mixes and offered in many catalogs.
This species has become a weed problem in some regions due to its fast growth and vigorous reseeding.
It is easily recognized by it's fine cut foliage resembling a dill plant.
This species can grow 2 to 4 feet on average and may grow even taller in more fertile soil.
The original variety has starry, single, daisy-like flowers in shades of pink, pink and purplish-red, but there are many other cultivars:
Sensation This cultivar is very easily found in the seed section of many stores.
Sonata This is a dwarf, smaller variety that grows only two to three feet tall Seashells has petals around the center disk that are fluted like trumpets.
Psyche cultivars have flowers unusually in semi-double form and irregularly sized petals.
Bon-Bon kinds are full, like pom-poms.
Many of the double or semi-double cultivars will occasionally produce different flower shapes on the same plant or from seeds in the same package.
There are many more color forms that can be listed in this article.
These are solid (single) colors, bicolored (two colors on one bloom) and some with different colored blotches and streaks on one bloom.
Some varieties even change colors as the flower ages and sometimes one plant will have different flowers of varying colors on the same plant.
There are also several cultivars that are a very pale lemon/creamy/primrose yellow color.
However these are quite rare and are in limited supply in many specialty garden catalogs.
This species originated in Mexico but is now extinct in the wild.
It only survives in cultivation as clones from division or tissue culture.
This flower is more of a perennial than the other species listed in this article.
It forms a tuber which can be dug up in colder winter climates and stored indoors until spring the following season, like a Dahlia bulb.The name comes from not only the dark maroon red-brown color of the flowers but also from the chocolate-vanilla scent the plant gives off in late summer.
This species also has larger dark green to burgundy leaves than other species in this article, and may be mistaken for a Dahlia or Coreopsis plant. , This species shares a height and flower color with Cosmos bipinnatus, but looks a bit more fragile.
This flower is a North American native from Southwest parts of the country and is sold in stores specializing in Native American wildflowers.
However, in other regions, it has become a weedy wildflower. , As its name implies, this species is often yellow, or more accurately a bright, neon, yellowish orange.
This species can produce flowers in shades of deeper orange to a very interesting orangish-red as well.
The leaves of this variety are also coarser (more like parsley) than other species of this group.
This species also tends to be shorter two to three feet tall and is sturdier, making it a great plant for more formal landscapes.
This species can be confused for a Coreopsis or Bidens plant and older botanical texts list it under Coreopsis.
Coreopsis produce rounder seeds while Cosmos seeds are skinny and needle like.
Also the yellow disk of Coreopsis is bushy and powdery looking while Cosmos centers are looser and have little "flowers" and black "needles" in the center.
Bidens is another yellow daisy wildflower that has lots of species all over the world.
The seed has two to five barbs on the end that stick to fur and clothing and also the flowers are smaller than Cosmos with more weedy looking plants.
This plant can be called Beggar-ticks, Stickseeds or Tickseed Sunflowers.
About the Author
Kelly Sanders
Experienced content creator specializing in practical skills guides and tutorials.
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