Cosmos are one of my favourite summer flowers.
They are a feature in my garden every year without fail. While other flowers may come and go, cosmos are a constant. With their delicate, feathery foliage and beautiful, daisy-like flowers, they make a lovely addition to any garden.
It was no surprise, then, to discover that the name cosmos comes from the Greek word kosmos, meaning beautiful or order.
There are lots of colours and varieties to choose from, and one of the things I particularly love about cosmos is how easy they are to grow from seed.
So I thought I’d dedicate a few words to a love of cosmos — and why I keep growing them year after year.
How to grow cosmos from seed
You can, of course, buy cosmos plants at your local garden centre. But growing cosmos from seed is surprisingly easy.
The seeds are long and thin, but they’re easy enough to handle, and they germinate relatively quickly, which is always very satisfying when you’re impatient to see those first little seedlings appear!
Another advantage of growing cosmos from seed is the sheer variety available. Once you start looking at seed catalogues, you’ll find cosmos in all sorts of colours and forms, from delicate whites and pinks to deeper shades and unusual blends.
I have used a heated propagator to get my cosmos started, which fitted nicely on the kitchen windowsill and allowed me to grow several different types of plants at the same time.
Before long, I was potting on the seedlings and allowing them to grow in my little growhouse, patiently waiting for the weather to warm up enough for them to go outside.
I probably got a little ahead of myself by planting them out at the end of April. Here in Northern Ireland, it’s generally safer to wait until the risk of frost has passed and the weather has warmed up.
Once established, cosmos are wonderfully rewarding plants. Give them a sunny spot and they will keep producing flowers throughout the summer.
Cosmos are pollinator-friendly flowers
Cosmos have a long flowering period, which is another reason I love them.
In my garden they usually start flowering around July and can continue right through to October, depending on the weather.
And during all that time, they do a great job of attracting pollinators.
Bees, butterflies and other insects seem to appreciate them just as much as I do.
If you keep deadheading the flowers regularly, it encourages the plants to keep producing more blooms. I also stake mine because summers here can be quite blustery affairs, particularly in July, and those tall, airy stems don’t always appreciate being blown around.
Cosmos make beautiful cut flowers
One of the things I love most about summer is being able to go outside, pick a few flowers and bring them indoors.
Cosmos make lovely cut flowers. They look beautiful on their own in a vase or mixed with other flowers from the garden.
I’ve grown several different varieties over the years, including Cosmos Apricotta, Cosmos Apricot Lemonade and Cosmos Kiiro.
This year I grew Apricotta alongside Calendula Sunset Buff. I loved the warm coral and apricot tones of the flowers — quite a change from the white and pink cosmos I usually grow.
And, of course, there is something rather special about cutting flowers that you’ve grown yourself.
A few cosmos and calendula picked from the garden earlier this month
Choosing cosmos varieties
One of the pleasures of growing cosmos from seed is discovering all the different varieties available.
I’ve grown Cosmos Purity in previous summers and love its simple, elegant white flowers. I’ve also experimented with varieties in warmer peach, coral and apricot shades.
There are plenty of colours and forms to choose from, so it’s easy to find something that suits your garden.
And if you’re anything like me, once you start looking through the seed catalogues, you’ll probably find yourself wanting to try a few different varieties each year!
Cosmos are beautiful to photograph
I won’t deny it. I also grow cosmos because I love to photograph them.
They are such photogenic flowers.
In summer, when the sun starts to set behind our garden, it illuminates the flowers and bathes the petals in a warm glow.
Then I’m out with my camera, trying to capture the scene before the light disappears.
Perhaps that’s another reason cosmos have become such a constant in my garden. They give me something beautiful to look at, something to bring indoors and something to photograph.
Cosmos Purity from last summer
Why I keep growing cosmos
As I write this, it’s raining outside — again.
Yet yesterday we had a beautiful summer’s day.
Hopefully the sun will return soon so we can enjoy the garden a little more, and especially the cosmos as they continue to bloom.
They’re easy to grow, generous with their flowers, loved by pollinators and wonderful as cut flowers.
And if you’re new to growing flowers from seed, cosmos are a lovely place to start.
Perhaps you might like to try growing them yourself next year.
If I can do it, anyone can!
Wishing you a lovely day,
Paula
Useful Links
The Flower Garden – How to grow flowers from seed
Gardening Success: A Year of Abundance and Joy
We have no Cosmos this year which is a shame as they ARE beautiful flowers. Maybe I need to grow them from seed & have a greater variety of colours too! Fingers crossed for some sunshine this summer as it’s not been a good one, so far.
Yes, they are so easy to grow from seed. The weather has been poor today. I think we are all waiting for summer to actually start ! Thanks for reading my post 🙂
They look beautiful. Love their feathery leaves. X
Thank you. Just need some sunshine now to get things going !