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  • Amateur Gardening

    This week… Cosmos

    Apr 05, 2022 6 minutes

    COSMOS, sometimes called cosmea or Mexican aster, is a sun-loving plant with saucer-shaped flowers like daisies. Most grow wild in Mexico. They are very colourful, easy-to-grow plants that are usually grown from seed sown each spring (annuals) and pulled out in the autumn.

    Some cosmos varieties bloom happily at knee-height, flowering on short plants about 12-15in (30-38cm) tall, while others can reach head-height, 5-6ft (1.5-1.8m), with different varieties at all heights in between.

    All cosmos have flowers with the same general appearance. In the centre of each flower are rings of tiny individual flowers (florets) that together form an eye or disc. Starting from the outside of the disc, each ring of tiny florets opens one after the other to shed pollen for the bees to collect. Usually these florets are yellow, orange or gold but they can also be reddish.

    NEW SERIES

    Surrounding the disc are the petals (rays). These are large and brightly coloured in

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