Wild rose with bright red berries is a riddle. Roses with the most beautiful fruits. III. Message about the topic and purpose of the lesson

Cosmos, kosmeya (Cosmos)

Family: Asteraceae or Compositae

Brief information about the garden plant

Cosmos, Cosmea. Single and perennial herbaceous plants are often high. The leaves are opposite, twice pinnately dissected into narrow, linear to filiform lobes.

Inflorescences are many-flowered baskets on bare peduncles, solitary or collected in loose, corymbose panicles. The color is purple, pink, dark red, white or golden yellow. Blooms from mid-June to September.

Types and varieties of space

About 20 species of plants are known, common in the subtropical and tropical regions of America. In decorative floriculture, three species are used, as well as artificially obtained garden molds. More often than others in our gardens can be found Cosmos bipinnatus (Cosmos bipinnatus).

Cosmos bipinnatus (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Herbaceous annual 80-150 cm tall, large inflorescences 7-10 cm in diameter, solitary or collected in a rare corymb. Marginal flowers are white, pink, red or purple, arranged in one or more rows; tubular - small, yellow, form a small disk. Blooms profusely from mid-June to September.

Popular varieties of double-pinnate cosmea:

"Dazzlef- marginal crimson flowers;

"Purity"- marginal flowers are white;

"Radiance"- marginal flowers are pink, darker at the base.

Cosmos sulfur yellow (Cosmos sulphureus)

An annual species, found in nature in the territory from the north of South America to Mexico. Leaves are pinnate, sometimes slightly pubescent, flowers are diverse. different colors- from yellow to red.

Space Care

The plant is unpretentious in culture, care consists in regular watering and top dressing. Kosmeya - photophilous plant, undemanding to soil conditions. On poor soils, it is fed once every 3-4 weeks, on rich soils - twice a season, with a solution of complete mineral fertilizer. Withered inflorescences, if possible, are removed for more active formation of new buds.

space reproduction

Propagated by sowing in April, you can immediately permanent place. Seeds collected in the garden are suitable for sowing, which remain viable for 3-5 years.

Few people in our time are unfamiliar with kosmeya. With her bright flowers associated with rainbow summer and warm sun. The charming cosmea is also called the cosmos or the Mexican aster, it represents the Astrov family. These unpretentious flowers, which once came to us from Mexico, can now be found everywhere, they are loved to be planted in city yards, and in private houses, and in summer cottages. When looking at a flowerbed with cosmos, it seems that this is a fluffy green carpet with multi-colored stars. Translated from Greek, its name means "decoration". Indeed, wonderful bright bloom and soft green foliage decorate with their presence any garden and flower garden.

Description of cosmos

Cosmea is a herbaceous annual or perennial with thin, strongly branched stems along the entire length. Its height is 50-150 cm. The shoots are covered with smooth bright green skin with reddish stains. Opposite openwork leaves grow on them, which, together with the stems, form a sprawling shrub that looks like airy green foam. The leaf segment adjacent to the long petiole is oval with a pointed edge or thin, similar to soft needles.

The flowering of cosmea begins in June and continues until the first frost. In the upper part of the processes are corymbose or paniculate inflorescences. Each flower is an inflorescence-basket with a diameter of 6-12 cm. It has a fluffy center of black or dark brown tubular flowers. Yellow anthers rise above it. The core may be flat or spherical. It is edged with one or more rows of reed flowers with golden, red, white, pink or purple petals. The petals of a reed flower may coalesce into a flat sail or form a more decorative, solid bell.

Choosing a place and soil for cosmos

In relation to cosmea for outdoor care, open and sunny areas, well protected from the winds, are best suited. Cosmea is very undemanding to the soil. Loose, drained soil, with a sufficient supply of organic and mineral fertilizers, would be ideal for her. The main thing is not to overdo it and use fertilizers in moderation. Growing kosmeya in shade or partial shade, as well as on soils that are excessively rich in organic matter, can lead to abundant leaf development. finally established warm temperature air and sufficiently warm earth - the best time when to sow cosmea in open ground. Follow these conditions, and the plant will certainly please you with abundant and bright flowering.

Planting cosmos in open ground

Cosmos in a flower bed will look great if you follow the rules for planting seeds in open ground. Planting seeds of cosmea in open ground is carried out in early spring, after the snow has completely melted. Seeds must be scattered over the surface of the soil in small groups of 3-4 pieces, approximately every 30-40 centimeters, and lightly tamp them with the palm of your hand. The depth of embedding should be no more than one centimeter. With seedless sowing, cosmea blooms in July - early August. You can also sow cosmea in open ground and late autumn. Cosmea perfectly reproduces by self-sowing in autumn period, you just have to thin out the densely sprouted spring shoots. To form a beautiful crown, the plant can be cut. This procedure will not affect flowering, and the flowers themselves will look neat and attractive.

Growing seedlings of cosmos

Growing cosmos seedling way gives more reliable and faster results. It is worth sowing cosmea for seedlings in mid-April. The light-sensitive seeds of cosmea sown on the top of the substrate are slightly pressed into the soil, without sprinkling, moisten and cover the sowing with a film or glass. The seed container is kept in a bright place. If the temperature for seed germination is between 18-20 ºC, sprouts will appear in a week or two. Thick seedlings need to be thinned out so that the distance between the seedlings is 10-15 cm, for this purpose a pick can be made. Picked seedlings are grown at a lower temperature - 16-18 ºC. If you do not want to bother with picking seedlings, you can immediately sow two or three seeds in separate cups.

Planting seedlings of cosmea in open ground

Landing of cosmos is carried out in early June, when they pass return frosts and the seedlings will stretch up to 6 cm. Planting is acceptable in mid-May, if you are sure that the cold will not return. In early June, when the heat finally sets in, prepare shallow holes in the garden according to the 30x30 or 35x35 pattern if you are going to plant tall varieties, and spill them with water. Then plant seedlings in the holes, dig them in and water again. Don't forget that tall varieties Cosmos may need support, so in advance, when planting seedlings, dig in slats or rods around which you will tie an adult bush. When the kosmeya reaches a height of 50 cm, pinch the tops of the shoots so that the plant bushes better. Cosmea grown in seedlings blooms in June or mid-July.

Cosmos care

Even for a novice grower, the process of caring for a cosmea will not seem difficult, because a cosmea can even grow “savage”.

Basic rules for the care of cosmea

• watering is carried out once a week, it must be plentiful (5-6 buckets per 1 bush);
• until the cosmos bush reaches maximum dimensions and will not finally strengthen, it is necessary to loosen the soil after watering and remove weeds so that they do not clog the flower;
• for the whole season, it is necessary to feed the flower three times: before budding, during and at the beginning of flowering. As a feeding material, you can use both organic matter (manure) and minerals (nitrophoska, gum). It is also necessary to apply fertilizer in small doses, as excess fertilizer can lead to high tillering and lack of flowers.
• if you want to get the most abundant flowering, use foliar top dressing. For example, you can spray the leaves with Bud, remembering to observe moderation when feeding the flower;
• in order for the cosmea to bloom profusely throughout the season, remove wilted flowers in time;
• if the cosmea began to clog other flowers and plants, having grown strongly in the flower bed, it can be trimmed, giving it a more attractive appearance. Such an action will not adversely affect flowering.

Plant care in winter comes down to digging up the plant and transplanting it into a pot for wintering in the house on the windowsill. Thus, by following the basic rules for caring for cosmea, you will achieve the maximum beautiful flowering in season.

It is known that cosmos attract lacewings, which are not averse to feasting on thrips, aphids and mealybug and, accordingly, rid the garden of these pests. In addition, butterflies flock to the garden at the sight of this marvelous flower.

Black aphids, which are formed by ants, can cause the greatest harm to a flower. In this case it is best to use soapy water which will help free the plant from the pest. At high humidity and during damp weather, snails and slugs can attack the cosmea, for which beer traps can be made. Basically, cosmos is considered resistant plant towards diseases and pests.

Ease of care, variegated colors of inflorescences and the almost complete absence of diseases make cosmea suitable option how to garden experienced florist as well as a beginner.

Both of them need to be carefully monitored except that the plant does not receive excessive amounts of organic compounds, which can lead to a delay in flowering or even to its absence.

Cosmos, Or Cosmos (Cosmos) - herbaceous plants of the Aster family, grows naturally on the mountain slopes of Mexico, in the tropics and subtropics of Central and northern South America. More than 20 known natural species. In our time, many garden varieties of cosmea have been created.

The most common species are: Cosmos bipinnatus and Cosmos bipinnatus and Cosmos sulphureus.

Cosmea doubly pinnate is tall plant with pinnately dissected leaves, similar to dill leaves. She can grow tall more than a meter, branches. Inflorescences-baskets are large, up to 10 cm in diameter. Reed flowers are brightly colored in pink, crimson, burgundy, white tones. The middle flowers are tubular, bright yellow.

Cosmea sulfur-yellow is less common in gardens. This species is more thermophilic and in cold summer it cannot always show itself in all its beauty. Her leaves are twice or thrice pinnately dissected, their lobes are lanceolate and wider than those of Cosmea double-pinnate. Inflorescences are very bright, 4-6 cm in diameter, reed flowers are red-orange or golden yellow. By color, the flowers of this cosmea resemble marigolds.

Numerous garden varieties are varied. Selection is carried out in different directions. There are varieties with double inflorescences, with reed flowers twisted into a tube. Undersized cosmos, no more than 40 cm high, are very much in demand by flower growers. On sale it is usually not difficult to find a mixture of seeds of the same variety, but of different colors. Variations of “Sonata” (undersized cosmos) are popular, “Double Click Rose Bonbon” terry cosmea looks like a carnation, “Piper Red” is distinguished by tubular petals, “Antiquity” petals are light at the edges, and in the middle - a more saturated color.

Space is one of the amazing unpretentious plants able to grow in almost any soil. Fertile, rich in organic matter, moist soil is not the most the best way for this flower. On such soils large, branched bushes will grow with large quantity leaves, flowering will come late and will not be too abundant. Tall stems easily fall down from the wind. On poor soils, cosmeas do not grow particularly tall, their stems are thinner, but there are more flowers.

The use of cosmos in garden design

Cosmos are good for group landings, they are often used as background plants in mixborders. They are also planted along the fences along with mallows.

The cosmos flower is especially valued as a plant for filling empty spaces. Cosmea develops rapidly, representing a beautiful green bush with thin graceful leaves. That is why it is often sown in new gardens, between newly planted shrubs and perennials. It is also important that this flower does not create a thick shadow, but only slightly shade other types of plants.

Cosmea is also useful where the soil is not very fertile, and the sun dries the earth. One bag of seeds is enough to hide a bald spot in the garden.

Cosmea goes well with colorful letniki: marigolds, verbena, annual asters, phlox, chamomile. Perfect for decorating a rustic garden.

Care for cosmea consists almost only in sowing it in the spring. It is also desirable to weed from weeds. It is useful to remove wilted inflorescences in time, this stimulates the appearance of new buds.

Location. Well-lit areas are best suited. It can also grow in the shade, but the stems will be elongated and thin, flowering will be modest. When sowing or planting seedlings, it should be borne in mind that the bushes are large enough, it is advisable to leave 25-30 cm between them.

Watering. Space - drought resistant flower. In dry sunny areas, flowering occurs earlier. Wet and rainy summer promotes the growth of green shoots.

The soil. A plant that is not demanding on soil. High soil fertility, excess fertilizer leads to an increase in green mass and late flowering. It grows well on sandy soils with the addition of leaf humus.

winter hardiness. Cosmea comes from warm countries, but it can be sown early, it sprouts well and is not afraid of night cooling. Very often, it reproduces by self-sowing even in areas with frosty (-15-20 degrees) winters with a thick snow cover.

reproduction. Cosmos are propagated by seeds. Sowing is done in April in open ground. Seeds are not buried, they need light to germinate, it is better to press a little into the soil. They tolerate transplant well. If the crops are thickened, some of the plants can be transplanted to another site without any problems.

Cosmea is a herbaceous branching plant with bright and rather large flowers. It belongs to the Astrov family. In many countries, flower gardens have been decorating for several centuries. ornamental varieties cosmos, but it was first discovered in Central and South America. It is not for nothing that cosmea is also called “Mexican aster”, “cosmos”, “decoration”, “beauty”. This is unpretentious and bright plant very handy for inexperienced or busy gardeners. Some species successfully overwinter in southern regions, but in central Russia, cosmea is often grown as an annual, changing annually flower arrangement.

plant description

Cosmea is a herbaceous annual or perennial with thin, strongly branched stems along the entire length. Its height is 50-150 cm. The shoots are covered with smooth bright green skin with reddish stains. Opposite openwork leaves grow on them, which, together with the stems, form a sprawling shrub that looks like airy green foam. The leaf segment adjacent to the long petiole is oval with a pointed edge or thin, similar to soft needles.

The flowering of cosmea begins in June and continues until the first frost. In the upper part of the processes are corymbose or paniculate inflorescences. Each flower is an inflorescence-basket with a diameter of 6-12 cm. It has a fluffy center of black or dark brown tubular flowers. Yellow anthers rise above it. The core may be flat or spherical. It is edged with one or more rows of reed flowers with golden, red, white, pink or purple petals. The petals of a reed flower may coalesce into a flat sail or form a more decorative, solid bell.

Plants are pollinated by insects, after which dry achenes with a lush tuft ripen. Elongated dark brown seeds remain viable for up to three years.

garden varieties

The genus of cosmos is not very extensive. It contains about 24 species. In culture, only 3 main varieties are used and great amount decorative varieties.

The popular garden annual is distinguished by thin, dill or needle-like leaves of bright green or olive color. The height of strongly branched upright vegetation is 80-150 cm. In the upper part of the shoots, inflorescences-baskets with a diameter of 7-10 cm are formed. Each grows on a separate, thin, like a thread, peduncle. The convex center is covered with large yellow stamens. Along the edges is a row of reed flowers of purple, pink, red or snow-white color. A narrow linear petal has a wavy or rounded edge. Varieties:

• Puriti - filamentous stems ending in snow-white flowers with wide, triangular petals;
• Radiance - corrugated petals expand towards the edge, forming a solid circle, closer to the center there is a contrasting spot on the petals.

The heat-loving variety has denser branched shoots covered with pinnately dissected foliage. Individual leaf segments are wider. They are colored dark green. Vegetation up to 1.5 m high ends with bright orange flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. The core is higher and more dense than that of the previous species. It consists of golden tubular flowers with dark brown anthers on top. The inflorescence is surrounded by corrugated bright orange petals with a wavy edge. Varieties:

• Bilbo - golden-orange semi-double flowers bloom on stems about 50 cm high;
• Diablo - blooms bright red simple inflorescences.

The variety looks very unusual, thanks to large flowers with maroon petals and an almost black core. The surface of the petals is matte, as if velvety. During the flowering period, a sweetish chocolate aroma spreads over the flower bed. Under the flowers on the stems are dark green pinnate leaves.

Recently, many varieties with lush flowers have appeared, which are combined under the name terry kosmeya. In the official classification as a separate species, this group is not represented. However, it is very popular with gardeners. Varieties:

• Ladybug - a bush up to 30 cm high blooms with yellow, red or orange semi-double inflorescences up to 7 cm in diameter;
• Sunny gold - bright yellow double flowers over low emerald growth;
• Pink Valley - light pink inflorescences up to 10 cm in diameter consist of several rows, shortening towards the center of the petals.

Growing cosmos

In a temperate climate, even a perennial cosmea is cultivated as an annual, therefore accessible way its reproduction is considered seed. Sowing seeds in open ground or preliminary cultivation of seedlings is allowed. When sowing cosmos in the garden, flowering will begin no earlier than the end of July. As soon as the snow melts, shallow holes are prepared. Seeds are distributed in groups of 3-4 pcs. with a distance of 30-40 cm. They are planted to a depth of 1 cm. After planting, the soil is carefully watered. In the future, seedlings are looked after as adult plants. Only at first watering should be careful not to wash the plants out of the soil. Too thick places are slightly thinned out.

When growing in one place, kosmeya gives abundant self-seeding. In this case, it is not necessary to specifically sow it in the spring, since young plants will certainly appear on their own. It is enough just to thin them out and give the landings the desired shape.

If you pre-grow seedlings, then the first flowers of cosmea can be seen already in early June. To do this, seeds are sown in shallow boxes with a sand-peat mixture already in the first decade of March. They are only slightly pressed into the soil so that light falls on the surface of the seed. The room temperature should be +18…+20°C. Shoots appear in 1-2 weeks. When the seedlings grow up a little, they dive into another box with a distance of 10-15 cm. After the dive, the cosmea is transferred to a room with a temperature of +16 ... + 18 ° C.

Perennials can also be propagated by tubers and cuttings. The tubers are dug up in the autumn, divided and stored all winter in the basement in wet sawdust. In the spring they are planted in the garden. Cuttings are cut and rooted in open ground during the summer.

Landing and care

Seedlings are moved to open ground at the end of May, when the danger of return frosts finally disappears. All kinds of cosmos can not stand negative temperatures, and young plants are even more sensitive to cold snaps. When planting, the height of plants should reach 6 cm or more.

Kosmeya is best planted in an open, sunny area. Strong drafts and gusts of wind can break thin stems. The soil should be moderately nutritious and light, without stagnant water. A neutral or slightly acidic reaction is optimal. On too fertile land greenery will develop better, and flowering will decrease.

Shallow pits are prepared for planting with a distance depending on the height of the variety (about 30-35 cm). After planting, the plants are well watered. For high varieties, you should immediately consider a garter or supports. Already now you can dig in stakes and pull the rods. To make the stems branch better, pinch them.

Cosmea does not retain moisture well, so it needs to be watered often and plentifully. On hot days, 1-2 times a week, up to 4-5 buckets of liquid are poured under a bush. The earth should be loosened regularly to break up the dense crust after watering. You also need to remove weeds. In young plants, their dominance significantly slows down growth.

From the beginning of summer, 1-2 times a month, cosmea is fertilized with flowering stimulants ("Bud"). The solution is not only poured into the soil at the roots, but also sprayed over the leaves. Several times during the season they make mineral or organic feeding("Agricola", superphosphate, rotted manure). Such fertilizer is necessary only on depleted soils.

To ensure that flowering lasts for a long time, it is recommended to immediately cut off faded inflorescences. Then new buds will appear in their place. In the southern regions, in order to preserve cosmea for the winter, at the end of autumn, the ground part should be removed to the very ground or no more than 10-15 cm of shoots should be left. They are covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves and spruce branches. In early spring the shelter should be removed so that the sprouts do not sprout. In more northern areas, the flower garden is dug up in the middle of autumn and all parts of the plant are removed.

plant use

Openwork greenery and delicate flowers look simply charming anywhere. Cosmea can be planted on the street along the fence, at the curb, in the flower garden. A delicate tart aroma spreads over bright baskets. Bushes and trees are framed with it, and also planted between vegetable beds. In the latter case, beauty also brings benefits. She turns the garden into a flower garden and at the same time protects vegetables from the scorching sun with openwork leaves. At the same time, enough light passes through the lacy leaves.

In the flower bed, the plant is absolutely non-aggressive. Cosmea is combined with daisies, mallow, lilies, geraniums, asters, calendula, alyssum, cloves, salvia or bluebells. When choosing a place and neighbors in a flower bed, the color of the petals and the height of the plant are taken into account. It can also be planted in flowerpots and brought indoors for the winter.