Who would be out there in the world not to have dreamed of a marvellous garden at home? Most probably no one would be against the idea of setting up a garden. In fact, all of us would love to have a beautiful garden in our backyard brimming with a variety of colourful flowers that would attract everyone’s attention. Seeing a flourishing garden on your farm would have a calming influence and can even improve our mood. Cosmos flowers are a kind of most renowned ornamental annual flowers which would give more vibrance to the garden. These mind-blowing blooms have a wide range of uses and benefits which you might not have noticed. We are going to discuss some of the reasons which would give us a clear picture on why we grow Cosmos flowers in your garden.
What are Cosmos Flowers?
Cosmos comes from the Asteraceae family which includes some of the famous flowering plants like Daisies, Sunflowers, Asters, Zinnia flowers and many more. If you wish to have a garden with numerous colour choices then Cosmos would surely have a firm case to stake its claim. They are tall annual plants which approximately grows up to a height of 4 feet.
The beautiful vibrant cosmos flowers would have a yellow central portion with petals which remain open as if to address everyone with a smile. These flowers come in various colours like orange, yellow, purple, white, red and pink. One of the main features of the cosmos is its tall slender stem and lobed foliage. Flowers tend to grow more if we practice going for a cut flower garden. Have a look at some of the major benefits and uses which made cosmos flowers one of the most popular among gardeners.
11 Benefits of growing Cosmos flowers
Cosmos are easy to maintain and this makes them attractive to all. The summer season sees them bloom in abundance and they will get dwindle with the first frost at the beginning of winter. The seeds of this plant variety would germinate fast and give flowers throughout the hot sunny days. One of the fascinating aspects of Cosmos is that it prefers less fertile soil compared to some of the plants we are used to. Hence if you have any area in your garden which is not fertile enough for the major plantations, Cosmos flowers would find it ideal to work out its magic. So, let’s have a look at these major benefits in detail.
- Attract bees and insects for Pollination
When you think of annuals which are nothing but plants with a life span of merely one year, Cosmos fall among the best in this business to attract bees and insects for pollination. Its benefits are not confined to the cosmos alone, instead, the rest of all plants in the garden will reap its rewards. The Cosmos flowers attract natural pollinators like butterflies, bees and various other flies. Large and open surface helps these pollinators to access the flower quite easily and this makes it one of the most attractive flowers for the bees.
When you consider some of the other major flowers with multiple petals, the insects would find it difficult to access the nectar and pollen. These pollinators also help in taking away some of the pests and insects that come to harm the vegetation. The use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers can have an adverse effect as it keeps away the beneficial pollinators and hence it would be advisable to follow organic farming practices.
2. Most suited for Cut Flowers
The Cosmos would have flowers throughout the summer season. The rigorous rate at which they tend to have flowers makes them one of the best suited for cut flowers. These cut flowers can stay fresh for about 7-10 days. It would be perfect for vases or it can be arranged in a bouquet. You would have to take care of the stem which you keep dipped in fresh water. If you perform the recut perfectly and remove the leaves which fall in the water, the flowers would remain fresh for up to 10 days.
If you tend to cut the flowers in a regular manner, the Cosmos would produce more flowers. It would be ideal to cut the flowers which are starting to unfold and will start to open soon when it’s kept in water. Removing the young plants would also enable you to get more stems which intern produce more flowers.
3. Lengthy flowering season
The Cosmos flowers have a lengthy blooming period which intern is one of its main features. These plants continue to have flowers starting from the early days of the summer season. It continues to have flowers until the moment it receives the first frost at the beginning of winter. Natural pollinators like bees and various other insects would find themselves enjoying the nectar and pollen from these flowers for a long period. These vibrant flowers would be destroyed soon after they were hit by the first frost of the winter season.
4. Easy to grow
When you think of plants which has a shelf life of merely one year, Cosmos would fall in the category of annuals which is quite easy to grow. It doesn’t require much maintenance, in fact, these plants should not be given more water and should be kept in a place where they get more sunlight. They tend to flourish even in dry conditions which can afford only a little water. More flowers will be produced in soils which contain less organic matter, in fact, the abundance of organic matter would give more leaves to the plant which intern reduces its flowers count.
Even those who are fairly new to the field of gardening would find it easy to maintain the Cosmos flowers. They require several hours of sunlight and if it’s been grown in a place where they could get direct sunlight, that’s what is called for. They require water only once a week and it’s ideal to have draining soil which has only a little water.
5. Fewer diseases and pests
Gardeners would find low maintenance for Cosmos as it has very less diseases and pests likely to affect the plant. Some of the commonly seen problems like plant bugs and spider mites can be reduced using easy techniques. However, two of the major diseases which are seen in these plants are powdery mildew and botrytis blight. But, these diseases can be avoided with good practices in your garden. Keeping in mind the two major points about giving less exposure to water and giving more sunlight would surely keep the cosmos healthy.
6. Can be made to form dried flowers
Just like the way the Cosmos flowers are ideal for cut flowers, they can also be used to form dry flowers which intern can be made used for dried bouquets and vases. The process is fairly easy as it can be kept in a cool and dry cupboard for drying. Freshly cut Cosmos flowers are tied up inside out in the cupboard for a couple of weeks to get the dried flowers. It can also be used for floral displays associated with architectural exhibitions which would catch the eye of interested parties.
7. More resilient to droughts
Cosmos plants have an attractive feature of extensive resilience to droughts for a prolonged time. The extended period of exposure to sunlight can be managed by these drought-tolerant plants. This allows the plant to have more flowers in dry conditions than in the period which receives regular rainfall and watering. Water is needed only once a week for drought-hit areas, but surpassing these timeframes without water would have a detrimental effect as the plant will get destroyed. Compared to many other flowering plants available in the garden, Cosmos would surely require less water.
8. Likely to Reduce Stress
It’s been believed that practising gardening and seeing a variety of vibrant flowers in the garden can have a calming effect on people. Out of so many flowering plants which we have in our gardens, Cosmos would have fairly easy maintenance. In fact, it’s been quite evident that the Cosmos would bloom extensively and provide a beautiful view for the garden. The mind-blowing beauty of the flowers stands in numbers and the vibrant nature of this Cosmos would help to reduce the thoughts which disturb our minds. Also, studies have also revealed that gardening, if done for a few days a week, would in fact helps to reduce stress and helps in calming your mind.
9. Many of these are annual plants
Apart from a few varieties, cosmos flowers are extensively considered to be annual plants. Each plant will have a life span of one year. Being an annual flowering plant, Cosmos are well suited for growing in pots and also in border areas of the garden where we normally leave as baren. The height of the plant can also improve the beauty of the garden if it’s been planted along the border. As with the case of almost all annual plants, Cosmos exhibits quick growth and gives high productivity.
Early spring is considered to be ideal for sowing the Cosmos as it can bloom all throughout the season. When it’s sown, it normally takes up to 10 days to have its seedlings. Depending on the sunlight it receives and the nature of the soil it inherits, each Cosmos plant would take up to 12 weeks to bloom. Cosmos flowers will continue to be an integral part of your garden until the early days of the winter season.
10. Suitable for growing in pots
As with the case of annual plants, Cosmos are suited to be grown in pots. Short varieties are much suited for indoor growth. They have a life cycle of one year and they would give marvellous displays of flowers for a short span compared to some of the prominent plants which we might be used to. Cosmos plants can be easily grown in pots as it doesn’t have many demands, except for keeping in mind one thing, that’s using draining soil. Increased water content and nutrient content may hinder the growth of the plants, especially the ones which were grown in pots. Water them once a week and remember to give them natural fertilizers once a month.
11. Impressive Ornamental Plants
It doesn’t matter whether you are growing Cosmos flowers in a garden or in pots, the ornamental impact of these annual plants is there for everyone to see. Cosmos plant grows up to a height of 4 to 5 feet and this makes it ideal to be sown in border areas of a garden. They make use of their height advantage to the maximum as the bordering flowers would help to increase the beauty of the garden. Cosmos can also be used to fill up the gaps or bare areas in a garden to make it more attractive. They even come in various colours like white, orange, yellow, orange, pink and purple. If we tend to have a colour scheme in mind for the garden, the versatility of Cosmos can easily fit them into our plans.
Where to buy Cosmos Flower seeds?
Cosmos seeds can be purchased online through a number of websites like Trustbasket, Ugaoo, All that grows etc. In most cases, it takes one week for the seed packages to arrive. Seedlings can most probably be purchased from plant nurseries nearby which sell ornamental plants. Since it’s easy to grow compared to other ornamental varieties, nurseries might have a wide collection of Cosmos plants to choose from.
