cosmos

No better time to look at my bright summery photos of cosmos flowers than a grey-rainy-chilly morning like this one. The center of a cosmos flower is remarkable, really…..look at that detail! Nature’s design. Cosmos are native to Mexico and South America. I read somewhere that missionary Spanish priests named this plant that grew in their gardens in Mexico. “Cosmos”, the greek word for harmony and order…which has come to be used as a synonym for “universe”. These flowers do seem like they could contain a whole other microscopic universe in their centers.

This year I noticed that every evening, the bumble bees would bury themselves in the centers as if they were going to bed for the night. Could that bee?

Yesterday I ripped out all the summer cosmos plants and took them to the compost heap. So long beautiful cosmos, see you next year.

Saving seeds for next year. “All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.”

Summer wouldn’t be summer in my garden without a good healthy patch of cosmos and dill growing together. They make a beautiful combination. And both will enthusiastically reseed themselves in the garden next year. I’d probably treat them like invasive weeds at my place if they weren’t so darned pretty.

They make fabulous wild and organic, natural looking decorative arrangements. Here, in a metal urn with millets and other grasses. This one decorated a gift table at a wedding reception this summer at the Community Center.

From another wedding a couple years ago, a bride’s bouquet of cosmos and grasses. So down-to-earth happy and pretty.

So handy to have some cosmos growing in the garden….just go pick a few stems for a quicky informal little flower bouquet, done in no time for big impact. Even just one flower in a small glass jar makes a pretty centerpiece.

“Double Click Rose Bon Bon” . A new favourite of mine. Last year, I decided it would be much more fun to try some of the less common ones….steered clear of the Sensation and Sonata mixes and will do so every year now. Thompson and Morgan have a fabulous selection of many versions of cosmos. (if you’re in Canada, make sure you go to the Canadian version of the site) I can’t wait to grow lots of orange and yellows next year!

This past spring I started lots of cosmos seeds and sold quite a few seedling plants at the Farmer’s Market. Will do next year too!

“Versailles Tetra” was another favourite this year. I love it’s bright pink petals that become a darker carmine at the gold center.

Cosmos are drought tolerant and do well in poor soil too. Here they are in an arrangement of other drought tolerants. None of these were watered once this summer in my garden…a nice combo on water-conscious Mayne Island. Versailles Tetra Cosmos with Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate, Fennel flowers and Cardoon leaves and heads…really lovely!

It seems that this year, I couldn’t get enough of Cosmos. So many snapshots!

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