This annual plant has been popular for many decades not only throughout the world, but also among Russian gardeners. They call him cosmea. The flowers of this unpretentious plant adorn a huge number of personal plots. It got its name from the Greek word cosmos, which can also be translated as “decoration”. Cosmea - flowers of the astro family. They can be grown in annual and perennial crops. This flower looks great on flower beds, lawns and green lawns.
The birthplace of cosmea, whose flowers are striking in the variety of shapes and colors, is South America. In total, there are 20 species of this plant. Despite its origin in warm climatic conditions, this flower grows remarkably in almost all regions of Russia, from the north to the middle strip and southern regions. For cutting, this flower is practically not used, because it quickly fades.
The most common are two types of cosmea: twice-feathered and sulfur-yellow. The first reaches 1.2 m in height. It forms powerful bushes with tall, highly branched stems. Twofold cosmea, whose flowers reach 10 cm in diameter, is most often painted in pink, white or red.
Reed flowers have a diverse color, and tubular - bright yellow. Another kind of cosmea is stunted (up to 75 cm) and thermophilic and has wider leaves. And its reed flowers can have an orange or red color. The diameter of the flowers reaches 3-6 cm. In appearance, most varieties of cosmea resemble chamomiles. Breeders brought out other flowers - terry cosmea, which looks great on any flower bed.
This plant blooms in June-July and blooms before the onset of the first frost. Cosmea - flowers that withstand short-term droughts. It is distinguished by its cold resistance. This flower is planted in well-lit areas protected from strong winds. When landing at partial shade, the cosmea blooms poorly, but there will be much more leaves on it than in the sun. This plant is unpretentious, not demanding on soils. It grows best on loose, well-drained soils that are not very nutritious. The plant loves moisture, so it needs regular watering.
Cosmea - flowers that propagate by seeds. They can be purchased at a store or asked from neighbors growing this plant.
Seed germination lasts 3-4 years. Cosmea flower, photos of which are presented on this page, can be grown in two ways: seedlings and seedlings. In the first case, the seeds are sown in March on the surface of the substrate and lightly crush them. Crops moisturize and cover with a film. You can grow this plant and sowing seeds in open ground. At a temperature of 16-18 ° C, seedlings will appear in 1-2 weeks. Seedlings of 8-10 cm are planted on flowerbeds according to the 30x40 cm pattern. When sown in May in open ground, plants should be thinned out at intervals of 20-25 cm (depending on the variety of cosmea).
Care for this flower consists in weeding, watering, loosening the soil. Top dressing is done only when cosmea grows on poor soil, before budding and at the very beginning of flowering. Tall varieties require garters to support, as their fragile stems can be broken by the wind. In autumn, the stems of the plants are cut off near the ground. Cutting off faded flowers stimulates abundant flowering.