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Among the unpretentious annual flowers blooming all summer until the first frost, cosmos or space occupies a special place. After all, this flower can be grown by anyone, even a child. Perhaps he belongs to those rare flowering plants that sometimes suffer more from excessive attention and care than from lack of them. Since the most common type of cosmea - double-pinned - is so unpretentious that it can be found even in its wild form on the outskirts of villages and summer cottages, where it wandered by self-seeding.
Many, probably, remember from childhood those old varieties of cosme, which on high stems adorned small charming flowers, with their delicate petals reminiscent of the wings of elves. To date, many varieties have been bred, including undersized ones, no more than 30-35 cm high, as well as with large flowers reaching 12-15 cm in diameter.In addition to the usual cosmea inflorescences, double and semi-double varieties have appeared, as well as those that have petals of unusual shape, accreted in the form of a single bowl or in the form of separate tubes. Therefore, today, more than ever, its name goes cosme, which is translated from Greek as "beautiful".
The most common types and varieties
The genus Kosmeya belongs to the richest in composition Aster family. Of the 25 species of annual and perennial species of cosmos that grow naturally in the tropics and subtropics of the American continent, only three species are grown in our country.
Cosmeya double-feathery
The most famous, popular and unpretentious type of cosme, which is an annual. It reproduces easily by self-seeding. Known in culture since the 19th century.
Among the many varieties of double-feathery cosmos, many of them are tall, even gigantic, in size and reach a height of 80-120 cm.
Radiance
The flowers of this variety seem more luxuriant than they really are, due to the close arrangement of the petals. They also have a very interesting coloration, when the light lilac color at the edges of the petals turns into a darker shade in the center.
Dazzler
This type of cosme has an interesting feature of changing the color of its flowers over time. From bright red they turn into crimson after a few days.
Double click
The incomparably beautiful double flowers of this variety of cosme resemble a rose. The petals have a slight waviness at the edges and are colored with light blotches on the main background.
Full bowl
In this variety, flower petals have grown together so much along the entire length that the inflorescence resembles a deep bowl. It looks very original.
Seashell
Not only is this variety of cosmos characterized by a variety of shades of inflorescences, but the inflorescences themselves look very original, consisting of petals grown together into tubes.
In recent years, undersized varieties of cosme have been especially popular among florists. Probably because they look as attractive as their tall cousins, but at the same time they do not suffer from the wind and do not need a garter.
Sonata
This variety is especially popular, since its seeds are not sold in the form of mixtures, but in varieties with flowers of several shades: white, pink, red and crimson.Therefore, using these colors, you can create your own color compositions. The bushes are very branched, with large inflorescences. In the height of the plant, cosmeas of the Sonata variety grow from 40 to 60 cm.
Vega
It is a dwarf variety of kosmea with flowers of different colors in a mixture. The plants do not exceed 30 cm in height.
Kosmeya sulfur-yellow
For some reason, this type of cosme is much less popular. Perhaps this was due to the greater thermophilicity of sulfur-yellow cosmos. In the northern regions of our country, it can hardly endure cloudy and rainy weather with constant winds. It is characterized by smaller inflorescences in diameter up to 6-8 cm and mostly yellow or orange. It differs from the previous species in wider leaf blades, pointed at the ends.
Kosmeya blood red or chocolate
This type of cosmos has recently appeared in our country. It is sometimes even called black cosme, because the velvet petals have such a dark red hue that it seems almost black.
The plants are perennials, but they are so thermophilic and cannot stand an excess of moisture that in the open ground their flowering can be observed only in the southern regions of Russia. In the middle lane, it is better to grow chocolate kosmeya in pots or containers. It succeeds well in room culture, especially since it is easily propagated by tubers and cuttings.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
Given the cold resistance of the most popular varieties of cosme and their ability to withstand even slight frosts, the seeds are often sown in open ground. But the problem is that the period from germination to flowering is about 2.5 months for the cosmos. Even if you sow it as early as possible, for example, in late April - early May (in the middle lane), then you will not be able to admire the flowering of cosmos until mid-July. And many people want to have beautiful flower gardens from the very beginning of summer. In this case, you will have to sow seeds at home in small containers - that is, first grow cosme seedlings, which in the second half of May can be successfully planted in flower beds and in mixborders.
It is difficult to name the exact dates when it is difficult to plant cosmea seedlings, since much depends on the climatic conditions of your region. For example, in the south, it can be sown in March, in order to plant it on flower beds in April. And for most areas of the middle lane, the best month for sowing cosmos for seedlings will be April.
For sowing, you can take almost any universal soil, although cosme seeds germinate best in light and loose soil with a significant content of sand.
The germination capacity of cosme seeds lasts about 5 years. The seeds are medium in size (1 gram contains 150-200 seeds) and have a slightly elongated shape, but it is not recommended to plant them vertically.
The best method of planting is to spread the seeds over the ground in a container so that they lie horizontally, and moisten well on top to ensure they adhere well to the ground.
After sowing, the container is closed with a bag or any transparent lid to create a greenhouse environment and placed in a moderately warm place. Cosmos seeds germinate well at + 15 ° + 18 ° С, so they do not need special heat, but light is needed. You can place the container of seeds on a regular cool windowsill.
Seedlings usually appear after 8-14 days depending on the freshness of the seeds.
Kosmeya perfectly tolerates transplanting and picking, therefore, when the first two real openwork leaves open in young sprouts, they can be seated in separate cups.
If you grow tall varieties of cosme, then when they have 5-7 leaves, it is advisable to pinch the tops of the plants for lush branching. Although the pinching procedure may delay the flowering of the bushes somewhat.
Seedlings of cosmos can be planted in open ground, having previously hardened, even when there is still a threat of small return frosts. But the average temperatures during the day should be around + 10 ° C. A distance of about 30 cm is usually left between the bushes. But practice shows that it is optimal to plant cosmey in small groups of 3-5 plants. In this case, the flowering can be more abundant and the plants feel better.
Seedless growing of cosmos
Cosme seeds are usually sown on flower beds in a nesting way, that is, several pieces are placed in one hole at once. You should not sprinkle the seeds with earth, as well as when sowing seedlings. True, when sowing in outdoor conditions, wind and rain should be taken into account, so it is advisable to press the seeds well into the ground.
The nesting method is perfect for sowing cosmos, since it has been noticed that with a denser planting, plants form a larger number of peduncles. While, if planted rarely, they form a lot of luxurious green mass, but the flowering will be rather scarce.
A similar effect can be obtained by planting a cosmeya in the shade or overdoing it with organic or nitrogen fertilizers. In this case, it is difficult to hope for anything other than magnificent openwork leaves.
Abundant flowering can be expected only when planting cosmos of any kind in the sun and on moderately fertilized, not moist soils.
Therefore, it needs good watering only during the first month of development. After flowering, it is better to limit watering to a minimum, no more than once a week, especially if the weather is cloudy or rainy.
It is interesting that kosmeya reproduces well by self-sowing, so its seeds can be sown before winter. This is usually done in late autumn, after the first snow falls. True, in regions where thaws are not uncommon in winter, sowing under winter will give flowers little chance of survival.
Cosmeia care and use
Caring for cosmeia is so simple that we can say that excessive attention can only harm it and you, instead of flowers, will receive only an abundance of openwork greenery.
For top dressing, it is better to use complex fertilizers with a minimum nitrogen content. For the first time, cosmos can be fed a few days after planting seedlings in the ground. Then you can treat it lightly during the period of bud formation and the last time - in the midst of flowering.
The undoubted advantage of cosmos is also the fact that most pests and diseases bypass it. Therefore, it does not need any additional processing.
True, it is advisable to tie tall bushes to supports, otherwise the thin stems will not withstand the pressure of the winds and will bend.
Cosmos flowers stand well in vases. If you cut them at the stage of half-open buds, then they can decorate your home for a week or more.
And cosmees, especially tall varieties, are quite possible to cut. The result is a beautifully formed and graceful flower hedge.
Observing all the simple rules for planting and caring for this unassuming flower, you have the opportunity to enjoy its flowering all summer, and even autumn, right up to real frosts.
