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Cosmea (sometimes written as kasmeya, also called cosmos, Mexican aster) is a herbaceous plant of the Compositae (Asteraceae) family. AT natural environment occupies vast territories of South and Central America, brought by the Spaniards in Western Europe, where at present it not only decorates gardens, but also grows wildly along roads, fields, and wastelands.

Botanical description

The height of the stem is 50-150 cm. It is thin, erect, branched. The leaves are openwork, filiform. An inflorescence inherent in all Compositae: the core consists of numerous tubular yellow flowers, and what we call a petal is actually a separate inflorescence.

These "petals" are oval in shape, elongated, the edges are slightly dissected. The color can be white, pink, yellow, red, dark red. At the top of the stem, inflorescences are located singly or in several pieces. fragrant flowers attract pollinating insects.

When it blooms

Flowering lasts all summer until the onset of severe cold weather. The fruit is an achene densely filled with seeds.

In our latitudes, kosmeya is grown as an annual and perennial plant.

Growing cosmos from seeds

Sowing in the ground

Can be sown directly in open ground or grow seedlings. In the first case, the flowering of cosmea starts in July-early August, in the second case, cosmea will bloom in early summer.

You can sow cosmea when the soil ripens, already in March. In the conditions of the middle zone, cosmea can be sown before winter, in October. Cosmea is able to reproduce by self-seeding.

• Dig up the soil, remove weeds, level the bed.
• Make holes no more than 1 cm deep, place 3-4 seeds there, cover thin layer soil, compact a little. Water carefully so that the seeds do not wash away. Keep a distance between the holes of about 30-35 cm.
• Thin out seedlings, weed young plants from weeds.

How to grow seedlings

Sow seeds for seedlings in March-early April. in boxes or immediately into separate cups (then you don’t have to transplant).

• Fill the containers with light, loose soil, moisten, spread the seeds over the surface, press them a little with your finger.
• Sow 1-2 seeds in cups.
• Cover the crops with film or glass, germinate in a bright place at a temperature of 18-20 ºC, ventilate the greenhouse, and moisten the soil.
• Expect sprouts to appear in 7-10 days. Then remove the shelter, reduce the temperature by a couple of degrees.
• Thin out seedlings in boxes, leaving a distance of about 10 cm between them.
• The grown seedlings are taken out into the street two weeks before planting in the ground and hardened, gradually increasing the time spent in the fresh air every day.

Planting seedlings of cosmea in open ground

Transplant seedlings in open ground with the establishment of real heat: in late May-early June.

Pick a sunny spot. Keep in mind that strong gusts of wind can break thin stems - plant tall plants in a secluded place or immediately build supports. Make shallow holes, keep a distance between plantings for low and medium-sized plants of about 30 cm, for tall ones - 35 cm. Cosmea has cross-pollination - different varieties plant away from each other. When reaching a height of 50 cm, pinch the tops of the shoots.

• Cosmea will grow well in water- and breathable soil of a neutral reaction.
• If the soil is over-fertilized with organic matter or synthetic fertilizers, stems, leaves will grow actively, and there will be few flowers.
• Feed the depleted soil with complex mineral fertilizers, superphosphate or organic matter (mullein infusion) once a season.

Spray three times a season with a special preparation for flowering plants, for example, "Bud". Spend the first spraying at the seedling stage, the second - before the start of budding, the third - during the period of active flowering.

Care for cosmea outdoors

Loosening the soil and watering

Weed young plants regularly, loosen the soil after watering or rain. Older plants cope with weeds on their own.

The plant is drought tolerant - water only during severe drought.

pruning

Removing wilted flower baskets stimulates the emergence of new flowers. Keep only a few if you want to collect seeds.

Preparing for winter

Perennial cosmos must be prepared for wintering. After flowering, cut the stems, leaving 10-15 cm above the soil surface. Mulch the soil with fallen leaves, cover with spruce branches.

Diseases and pests

The plant is not exposed to diseases and pests. Fresh young shoots can be eaten by snails and slugs. Collect them manually or use traps.

Cosmos seed collection

Choose large baskets for collecting seeds. Ripe seeds are brownish in color, they are dry and easily separated. In order not to miss the moment of collection (the seeds are easily scattered from the breath of the wind), cover the baskets with gauze.

Carefully collect the seeds and place them in a paper or cloth bag.

Seeds germinate for about 3 years. Store them in a dark, dry place with good ventilation.

Types and varieties of cosmea with photos and names

Cosmos bipinnatus

An annual herbaceous plant. The height of the stem is 80-150 cm. The leaf plates are similar to dill leaves. The diameter of the basket is 7-10 cm. The core is yellow, the petals can be white, pink, red, purple.

Cosmea double-pinnate variety Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Cranberries’ photo

A popular variety of the species is Cosmea shell - reed petals are folded into tubes.

Cosmea blood red or chocolate Cosmos atrosanguineus

Perennial view. The core and petals are painted in burgundy color, exude a chocolate aroma. The plant is thermophilic, most often grown in flowerpots, pots.

Cosmos sulphureus

The erect stem of the plant reaches a height of 1.5 m. The leaves are dissected into 2 or 3 lobes, have pointed tops. The core is yellow, the petals have a golden yellow, orange tint. Annual.

Cosmea terry

A variety that has reed flowers (petals) arranged in several rows. The flower is beautiful, lush. Stems are denser. The color is varied.

In turn, this variety has many hybrids:

• Golden Valley: has sunny yellow flowers;
• Polydor fox cub - scarlet or orange inflorescences;

Cosmos variety Piper Red Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Pied Piper Red’

• Diablo, Red Pipe, Cranberry Click, Burgundy Button - a range of colors from scarlet to burgundy;
• Pink bonbon, Pink candy, Rose valley, Snow click, Terry click, Glissandro, Rainbow overflows, Orange - various varieties of terry cosmea;
• Ladybug, Ariadne - semi-double.

Popular varieties of cosmea

Aster family

An annual or perennial herbaceous plant, translated from Greek means " decoration". Its other names are space, beautiful girl, popularly referred to as unkempt lady. Homeland - tropics and subtropics of South and North America. In nature, there are 25 species of cosmea, in culture it has been more than 200 years old. AT middle lane Russia is an annual. Grow two types: sulphur-yellow cosmea and double-feathered cosmea.
The plant is a real decoration of the garden, its height can reach 1.5 m, the leaves are strongly dissected, openwork, with filiform slices. Inflorescences - large baskets on long peduncles, simple or double, reed and tubular flowers. Flowers can be arranged in several rows, cutouts are noticeable at the ends. If the plants are planted in a large group, they resemble a lacy cloud. Cosmos attracts butterflies, dragonflies, bees, bumblebees to the garden.
Cosmea is unpretentious, drought-resistant, loves light, sunny places, prefers relatively poor lands; on nutritious soils, plants grow powerful, but bloom little. This culture easily tolerates a haircut, they create spectacular hedges. Even a novice summer resident can grow cosmea.
Cosmos are propagated by seeds, they are sown in open ground from mid-May. The seeds are lightly pressed into the soil and lightly powdered with earth. The soil is kept moist. Seedlings appear after 10-12 days, with the appearance of the first true leaves, the plants are planted at a distance of 30-35 cm, given that they are quite wide and tall plants. Kosmeya easily tolerates any transplants.
They also grow cosmea through seedlings, in which case the plant will bloom in early dates. In early April, the seeds are sown in boxes, and preferably in separate pots, 2-3 seeds each. The soil is light, permeable, seedlings appear in 7-10 days. When the seedlings grow up, 1-2 plants are left in each pot. In mid-May, they can be planted outside in flower beds. Care for cosmea is very simple: weeding while the plants are small, watering, loosening. Landings should not be thickened, otherwise the culture grows small and thin, with strong wind and rain it falls. When hilling, plants give additional roots and become more stable.
Use cosmetics for group landings, hedges, wall decoration and other structures. Low-growing varieties are suitable for borders, containers, balconies. Cosmos is also used for cutting.

Varieties of cosmos:
ALBATROS - plant height 1 m, flowers are large, white;
KANDI-STRIP - plant height 80 cm, pink-white flowers, with a pink border;
GLORIA - plant height 1 m, dark pink flowers with a raspberry zone inside;
SANY GOLD - plant height 30-35 cm, orange flowers, double;
SEA SHELL - height 80 cm, different colors, flower petals in the form of conical tubes.

COSMOS / COSMOS - ANNUAL PLANT FOR GARDEN AND COTTAGE

Cosmea - without this plant, not a single garden or cottage usually does. Its decorative inflorescences and delicate leaves, as well as unpretentiousness and ease of cultivation, attract the attention of flower lovers and gardeners. Along with the traditional cosmea, which has come down to us from the front gardens of grandmothers, the plant is now represented by the most diverse, sometimes amazing varieties and forms. Therefore, it is interesting to know where this beautiful flower how to grow cosmea correctly, which variety to choose.

Kosmeya is familiar to many under a different name - Cosmos, translated from Greek meaning "decoration". This genus herbaceous plants belongs to the Astrov family and unites 46 species. Among them are annuals and perennials growing in natural conditions in Mexico and other tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Some of them are used in ornamental gardening.

COSMEA DOUBLE-FINERATED

Our most famous cosmea is double-feathered (Cosmos bipinnatus). It is unpretentious, easily tolerates the Russian climate (zones 2-11, erase more about frost resistance zones) and propagates well by self-sowing. AT European culture this species has been known since the end of the 18th century. And in her homeland, the American continent, she is more familiar under the name "Mexican aster." There self-dissipating wild plants often play the role of a weed.

The bush, up to one and a half meters high, is formed by strongly branched powerful shoots, which are covered with green openwork leaves. They are divided into narrow thread-like parts and are located on the shoots opposite each other.

Quite large inflorescences-baskets, reaching a diameter of 7 to 12 cm in culture, and up to 6 cm in the wild, are collected singly on a bare peduncle or collected in corymbs. They consist of marginal reed and central tubular flowers.

Reed flowers (petals) have three cloves at the top. Petals can be located both in one and in several rows. At cultivars they can be pink, lilac, white and two-tone.

Tubular small flowers, painted in yellow, are collected in the center in the form of a small circle. Received unusual varieties cosmea double-pinnate with anemone-like inflorescences and with petals that have grown together in the form of a long tube.

Abundant flowering lasts up to three months, usually from mid-June to September. Quite large brownish seeds of an elongated wedge shape retain high germination for three to five years.

COSME SULFURY YELLOW

The sulphur-yellow cosmea (Cosmos sulphureus) is quite rare in our gardens, although it is also recommended for zones 2-11. It is believed that it suffers more in cool and damp summers, and may not even bloom. But in Korea and Japan, this type of cosmea is the most popular.

Cosmea sulfur-yellow is distinguished, first of all, by wider, pointed at the ends, pinnately dissected leaves. Its flowers are 4 to 6 cm in diameter, and the color of the petals is yellow, golden, orange and red tones. The height of the varieties varies from 30 cm to 2 m.

COSMEA BLOOD RED / CHOCOLATE

Blood red cosmea (Cosmos atrosanguineus) is often called black or chocolate cosmea. Chocolate - because the smell of its flowers resembles chocolate. Black - because the red velvety petals are so dark in tone that, compared to traditional colors, cosmeas seem black. The species has unremarkable complex leaves and thin stems. Chocolate cosmea is propagated only vegetatively - by cuttings or dividing the tuber. The plant is recommended for zones 7-9. In the climate of the middle lane, this heat-loving crop grows poorly; tubers can rot from an excess of moisture in the soil. It works better in pots, which are transferred to a cool room for the winter. Like dahlias, chocolate cosmea tubers can be dug up and stored until spring.

GROWING COSMEA

Even an inexperienced summer resident can grow a traditional cosmea (double-feathered), so it is better to start acquaintance with cosmea with classic plants. It will be somewhat more difficult with new selections and rare species, the cultivation of which will interest amateur flower growers with experience.

This culture is light-loving and cold-resistant annual plant, which does not impose special requirements on growing conditions, tolerates hot and dry times well.

LANDING PLACE AND SOIL

When choosing a landing site, it is better to avoid partial shade and especially shade, where flowering will be significantly reduced. For tall varieties the danger is represented by winds capable of breaking the tall thin stems of the cosmos. Such plants are selected protected space.

The best soil for space will be sandy loam with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. It is very important that the soil is breathable, and water does not stagnate in it. Therefore, on clay soils landing of cosmos on high flower beds. Sand and compost, or other organic matter, are added to such soils to improve the structure. If you have a lot of humus in the soil on your plot, add sand and clay to it before sowing the cosmea, since the cosmea does not bloom well on very fatty fertile soils, increasing only green mass.

The cultivation of space in the garden or in the country is not difficult. For early flowering in the Non-Black Earth Region, cosmea is grown through seedlings, in the same way it is better to grow rare varieties and complex hybrids. But most often the seeds are immediately sown in a flower garden or in a garden bed.

GROWING FROM SEEDS IN GROWING METHOD

For seedlings, sowing is carried out in April-March (or one and a half to two months before the last frost) in low containers or pallets with small cells filled with loose, breathable and nutrient soil with weak acidity. You can sow cosmea in separate pots with a diameter of about 10 cm, 2-3 seeds each, so that later the seedlings do not dive, but remove weak seedlings, leaving stronger ones. But this is acceptable if a large number seeds. They do the same with lowercase or free planting of seeds, thinning out the entrances after the appearance of two true leaves, and leaving 10-15 cm between the seedlings. If there are few seeds, each seed is immediately planted separately.

The sowing depth is about five millimeters. Sometimes it is advised to simply press the seeds into moistened and slightly compacted soil, without sprinkling with the substrate, explaining this by the high need of the plant and seeds for light. Crops are covered with a film, aired daily, moistened with a fine spray of water when dried. At average temperature+18 degrees seedlings appear in two weeks or earlier.

Seedling containers are placed on a bright, cool windowsill. To prevent the seedlings from stretching, the temperature is maintained no higher than +18 degrees. Monitor the humidity of the substrate - it should not be very dry and very wet. In the phase of 2-3 leaves, the seedlings dive into separate pots or are seated at a distance of 10-15 cm in spacious plastic containers or boxes.

For better branching in tall varieties of cosmos, pinch the top over the 6th leaf. Modern hybrids themselves form right bush and do not need such an operation.

Grown plants are planted in open ground, depending on the region, in early to mid-May or early June. Young bushes (not overgrown) tolerate transplantation well, take root quickly and begin to grow intensively.

GROWING FROM SEEDS BY SOWING IN THE GROUND

Sowing in the garden on a bed with loose and permeable soil is carried out 2-4 weeks before the end of frost to a depth of 1 to 2 cm. More and more often there are recommendations for surface sowing of seeds by lightly pressing into the soil.

Tall varieties are placed on beds or flower beds so that the distance between plants in a row planting is about half a meter, and between rows - sixty centimeters. And between undersized hybrids, the distance should be thirty centimeters, between rows - forty. When nesting planting, 3-4 seeds are placed at a distance recommended for the variety. The emerging seedlings are cared for as with seedling method breeding.

Sometimes they practice winter sowing of space in frozen grooves or holes.

COSME CARE

Simple care for cosmea is loosening and weeding. It practically does not need watering, except at the beginning of growth and in severe drought. To do this, it is enough to water the plants once or twice a week. With the help of watering, you can increase the flowering time of cosmea, which stops earlier due to lack of moisture.

Cosmea grows well and develops even on not very nutritious lands. When growing this crop, it is worth remembering that it is not worth feeding bushes on black soil, since even small doses of fertilizers cause a delay in flowering and seed formation. In addition, on fatty soils, the cosmea grows very tall, which is why its stems may not support their own weight and break.

Top dressing with mineral fertilizers (nitrogen and, to a greater extent, potassium and phosphorus) are required only on poor soils, as well as when growing cosmea in pots. But before that, the plants must be watered. The following terms of fertilizing are observed: at the beginning of the growing season, during the period of laying buds and at the beginning of their blooming.

To maintain decorativeness and prolong flowering, faded buds are removed. Only a few flowers are left for the seeds to ripen, if necessary. In autumn, after frost damage, the cosmea is cut off near the ground, leaving the root in the soil.

Tall plants need support to protect their thin stems from the wind. Also need support for profusely flowering and large-flowered hybrids, which can bend under the weight of flowers. There are several ways to do this. For example, cosmea can be planted often so that the bushes support themselves. Other closely growing plants can also serve as a support. When planting in a group, a stake is driven into the center, and the bushes are additionally tied with twine.

In modern varieties, flowering continues for quite a long time, so the seeds do not ripen at the same time and, moreover, quickly crumble. They are harvested several times per season when they turn brown. Seeds after collection are dried in a dry room and stored in paper bags. One gram contains one and a half to two hundred dry cosmea seeds. Please note: if the F1 icon is on the package of cosmea seeds next to the name, then you have a hybrid, and you cannot collect its seeds for propagation - you will not receive exactly the same plants.

Although kosmeya is rarely affected by various pests and diseases, viral spotted wilt can still be found on it, powdery mildew and root gall nematode. Of the pests, aphids, snails and slugs can be dangerous.

COSMEIA IN THE GARDEN, AT HOME AND IN BOUQUETS

To date, quite a few varieties of cosmea have been created with simple, semi-double and double flowers, which differ in height, color, shape of inflorescences (anemone-shaped, pompom, saucer-shaped, chamomile, with twisted petals). They land in single landing on the lawn or at the gate, used in the design of mixed flower beds, as well as for bouquets. Cosmos with dense foliage are suitable for hedges and backstage, they are very well cut. In addition, double-pinnate cosmos is often chosen for decorating walls or various fences. He is able to create a background for others flower crops. Cosmos harmoniously look in the gardens natural style attracting butterflies and bees.

In addition to the classic (high) cosmos, there are low varieties with a compact bush shape. They are used to decorate borders, the foreground of flower beds, planting in a container. Some of them are suitable for balcony and indoor cultivation on the sunny windowsill. There were hybrids of cosmos with abundant flowering or very large inflorescences, brown-violet, lemon and other unusual colors.

For bouquets, cosmea is cut in the morning. The cut is updated daily and the water in the vase is changed. Cut flowers last more than five days.

VARIETIES

Specialized agricultural firms sell a variety of varieties of cosmea, which grow well in summer cottages and garden plots our country. Let's give examples of some of them.

Undersized

Variety "Vega" is a low plant with a height of about 30 cm, which has a compact shape. beautiful flowers 7 to 10 cm wide are painted in pink, white and reddish hues.

Low bushes up to 30 cm and terry blooming cosmos "Brightness". This is a mixture of warmly colored cosmies, in a palette of lemon, yellow, orange and red colors. Apart from traditional fit mix is ​​great for growing in decorative pots outdoors and in the room.

Middle-aged

Cosmea "Harmony" is presented in a snow-white-pink range. You can distinguish the color of future flowers already at the seedling stage by the color of the leaves. The shape of the inflorescences in this mixture is also the most diverse. The height of the bushes is 60 cm.

Creamy yellow color of the petals of the cosmea "Xanthos", which received the highest award at the international competition in 2016 decorative flowers. Despite the small diameter of flowers (6 cm), more of them are formed on the bush than in traditional varieties.

"White Sonata" attracts attention with highly branched bushes with openwork branches from 60 to 70 cm high and large inflorescences, painted in white shade. Flowering lasts all summer.

"Pikoti" is a shrub about 80 cm high with highly branched branches. White chamomile inflorescences with a diameter of 10 cm with a carmine-reddish border bloom from July until the first frost.

Tall

Cosmea "Double Click Cranberry" with its double inflorescences resembles a red rose. The petals, wavy along the edges, are colored with light pink blotches, and the fully opened flower is decorated with a yellow core. The height of this variety is 90 cm.

In the variety "Full Bowl" the shape of the flowers is similar to a deep bowl. The fused petals are serrated along the edge of a pale lilac or white color. Height 100 cm.

"Rainbow overflows" stands out with spectacular terry inflorescences with a width of 10 to 12 cm, which are painted in pink, white, burgundy and red shades. The height of the bushes reaches 120 cm.

Variety " Sea shell"I like it for spectacular inflorescences of various colors 10-12 cm wide with original compressed petals that resemble a small shell. Plant height varies from 50 to 100 cm.

The variety "Sweet Dreams" attracts attention with spectacular bushes 110 cm high with whitish inflorescences with pinkish centers.

"Fire of Love" stands out with highly branched plants (80-120 cm) with large inflorescences (diameter 10-12 cm) of a reddish-brown hue.

Variety "Orange" reaches a height of almost a meter. Terry inflorescences 7 cm wide are painted in a bright orange hue. Flowering lasts from July to late autumn.

If you have never grown cosmea, plant it in your garden, on your loggia or in your room! Amazing flowers will delight you in summer and in memories in winter evenings.

Cosmos, or cosmos, is a genus of annual and perennial herbaceous plants of the Aster family, or Compositae.

Department: Angiosperms

Class: Dicotyledonous

Order: Astroflowers

Family: Asteraceae

Or space(popularly this flower is also called a beauty) - heat-loving ornamental plant height 80-160 cm, common in tropical regions of America. In total, in nature there are about 20 species of this very common garden plant, whose inflorescences-baskets are similar to chamomile inflorescences.

The most common are two types of cosmea. The first is a double-pinnate cosmea (Cosmos bipinnatus), reaching 120 cm in height, with tall strongly branched stems, densely covered with double-pinnately dissected leaves. The diameter of the flowers can reach 10 cm; reed flowers can be painted in white, pink and red; tubular flowers are bright yellow. Another species - sulfur-yellow cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) - this species is more thermophilic and undersized (up to 70 cm in height), the leaves of this species are wider, the flowers are from yellow to orange and bright red, 4-6 cm in size.

Space is used in groups, on borders, for landscaping fences; rarely cut. In flowerbeds where perennial flowers are grown, kosmeya can successfully fill the resulting voids. Having the desire and ability to regularly water and feed the cosmea, you can plant it in pots placed on the terraces and balconies, where it will also look good. A good combination can be obtained by planting space next to partners such as marigolds, calendula officinalis, phloxes, verbena, Turkish cloves, dimorfoteka, chamomile.

Place. Cosmea is a very sun-loving ornamental plant, so for her successful cultivation choose warm, open to light and protected from the wind areas. If you plant cosmea in partial shade, there will be more foliage on it, but fewer flowers.

The soil. Any soil is suitable for cosmea, but it is better if it is loose, well-drained and nutritious - it will grow better in a plot with such soil.

Disembarkation. When propagating cosmos with seeds, they can be sown in open ground in April-May, for this you need to dig the selected area well, removing weeds and debris, and then add enough compost to the soil. Seeds when planting need only be slightly pressed into the soil, without covering them with earth, so as not to deprive them of the light they need. Lightly moisten the area after planting. Shoots will appear in 7-14 days. After the sprouts reach a height of 5-10 cm, the seedlings need to be thinned out so that the distance between plants is about 40 cm. room conditions and planting plants outdoors in June, when the danger of frost has passed (with this planting option, the cosmos will bloom earlier).

Time (period) of flowering. Cosmea blooms from early August to October, if grown by sowing seeds in the ground; if seedlings - flowering begins in July.

Care. Cosmea needs moderate regular watering. In order for the plants to bush better and bloom more abundantly, pinch their tops (upon reaching a height of 40-50 cm). For abundant flowering and conservation decorative look you need to regularly remove faded inflorescences. It would be nice to make 2-3 top dressings with organic or mineral fertilizers (before, during budding and during the beginning of flowering) - then, again, the flowering will be more lush, and the greenery of the leaves will be juicy green. For separately growing and powerful space bushes, it would be nice to equip an appropriate support and, if necessary, tie the bush with twine. In autumn, after the first frosts, it is necessary to cut the stalks of cosmea near the ground, leaving the roots in the soil for the winter.

Diseases and pests. Kosmeya is quite resistant to defeat various kinds diseases and pests, but young age it can be harmed by slugs and snails.

kosmeya, or space (Cosmos) - one of the most popular annuals among Russian gardeners, it is not for nothing that he also has vernacular name- "beautiful girl". The name of this plant comes from Greek word space which means "decoration".

It is a genus of annual and perennial flowering plants of the Asteraceae family. (Asteraceae). In any garden, these cheerful and bright flowers create comfort, diversify bright colors lawns and lawns. Cosmos are rarely used in cutting, but on open areas garden, they look elegant and festive.

There are 20-26 types of cosmos. Their homeland is Latin America. But, despite the southern origin, the plant grows well throughout Russia, both in the middle lane and in the northern regions.

The most common are two types of cosmea. The first is the double-pinnate cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), reaching 120 cm in height, with tall branched stems. The diameter of the flowers can reach 10 cm; reed flowers can be painted in white, pink and red; tubular flowers are bright yellow. Cosmos inflorescences resemble chamomile flowers in shape.

Another view - cosmos sulfur yellow (Cosmos sulphureus)- more thermophilic, up to 150 cm tall (undersized varieties, up to 70 cm), its leaves are wider, flowers from yellow to orange and bright red, 4–6 cm in size.

Cosmos bloom in late June - early July, flowering continues all summer and until the first frost.

cultivation

Cosmea is relatively drought-resistant and cold-resistant, tolerates even slight frosts. It is very photophilous and grows especially well in open sunny areas, preferably protected from the wind. If you plant cosmea in partial shade, then there will be more leaves on it, but fewer flowers.

It is not very demanding on the soil and grows on almost any, but it grows best on loose, drained, not very nutritious soils, but rich in microelements and sufficiently provided with organic matter. On too rich nutrients the growth of the green mass of the plant occurs at the expense of flowering.

reproduction

Cosmea is propagated by seeds, the collection of which must be carried out at the end of the maturation of the seeds. Cosmea seeds are distinguished by good germination, without losing their qualities for 3–4 years.

Cosmea can be sown both for seedlings and for permanent place growth. During sowing, the seeds should not be sprinkled with earth, you just need to slightly press them into the ground, moisten and cover with a film. Then they are exposed to light in a cool place, with an air temperature of + 15 + 19 ° C. Shoots appear in 7-14 days. After the sprouts reach a height of 5–10 cm, the seedlings should be thinned out so that the distance between plants is about 40 cm.

Cosmos can also be grown with seedlings, sowing seeds in March-April at room conditions and planting plants in open ground when the danger of frost has passed (with this planting option, the cosmos will bloom earlier).

Seedlings that are too dense must be thinned out at a distance of 10-15 cm between plants, depending on the variety. When growing cosmea seedlings, it should be remembered that overgrown seedlings painfully endure transplantation. With a seedling method of growing, kosmeya blooms from mid-July, when sown with seeds in the ground - from early August until frost.

Care

Plant care is simple - basically, these are timely weeding and loosening the soil. Watering plants is necessary only at the very beginning of growth and in dry weather every 10-12 days. And top dressing on seasoned soil is usually done only on poor soils before budding and at the beginning of flowering.

Tall varieties of kosmey should be tied up, since these plants have rather fragile and thin stems, they can be bent down and even broken by the wind. For separately growing and powerful space bushes, it would be nice to equip an appropriate support and, if necessary, tie the bush with twine. Neighboring plants can also be a support.

In autumn, after the first frosts, it is necessary to prune the stalks of cosmea near the ground, leaving the roots in the soil. It is also advisable to cut off the faded baskets of the plant, this will improve appearance the entire group of plants and will serve as a stimulation for the emergence of new buds. But, if you plan to collect seeds, it is not recommended to touch the inflorescences.

Usage

Cosmea is often grown in flower beds and in mixborders. Where perennial flowers are grown, kosmeya can successfully fill the resulting voids.

From tall varieties they make backstage or decorate a fence with them. Kosmeya tolerates a haircut well. This makes it possible to use it to create clipped hedges in flower beds. And from undersized varieties, you can make borders, decorate balcony boxes with them.

Tall forms of cosmea can also be used for cutting.

Having the desire and ability to regularly water and feed the cosmea, you can plant it in pots placed on the terraces and balconies, where it will also look good. A good combination can be obtained by planting space next to partners such as marigolds, calendula officinalis, phloxes, verbena, Turkish cloves, dimorphoteka, chamomile.

Compared to others garden plants, kosmeya has a very important advantage - it is practically not susceptible to diseases, and has a strong immunity to insect pests.

When the kosmea wilts and dries up, this is mainly a consequence of external factors: insufficient watering, dry summer, strong wind that broke the stems of the plant. If you carry out a minimum for it easy care and protect from the wind, healthy and strong plants will delight with their beauty until late autumn.

D.D. Chernyaeva

"Ural Gardener", No. 52, 2012