Cosmos Flowers
Cosmos are easy to grow and will fill your summer with loads of color and food for the small birds to enjoy. These flowers are truly low maintenance.
Cosmos will continue to bloom through late Fall and until the first hard frost.
Once you plant them they will reseed themselves and come back year after year.
How to Grow the Best Cosmos Flowers
Plant them in an area that gets full sun to get the best results in mid-spring.
Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep or spread out over an area and rake over them to cover the seeds. Water in after planting to get germination and this will help to minimize the birds eating all the seeds.
Cosmos need no additional fertilizing, just water 1 inch per week to keep them thriving.
Cosmos come in a variety of colors from white to pink, yellow, red, and even burgundy color and grow to 4-6 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide.
Small birds love to eat the seeds as the flowers are done, it is not unusual to see 8-10 birds swaying in the breeze on the branches of the Cosmos plants eating the seeds and distributing others for the Cosmos to come up next year.
They are great to attract other pollinators like bees and butterflies to pollinate your vegetable and fruit plants.
You can collect seeds for you to plant next year but you might get beat out by the birds as they love eating these seeds more than any others I have grown.
To collect seeds wait for the flower pods to start to dry to collect the seeds, and lay out the seeds to dry for a few days. Once they are dry put them in an envelope and store them in a cool dry location.
How to Select the Best Cosmos Flower Varieties
That will depend on the color palate you like since they come in a wide variety of colors, from white to pink, peach, and dark colors like deep red and almost black.
The fun is once you have bought the seeds once you do not need to buy them again since the seeds can easily be collected and they reseed themselves.
Cosmos is a must-have annual to plant in your yard not only for you to enjoy the burst of color but also to supply birds with a seed they love to eat.
I hope you have enjoyed this post on How to Grow the Best Cosmos Flowers and that you have now decided to grow them in your garden.
