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The Cosmeen are a genus of plants comprising about 26 species that are native to the subtropical to tropical areas of the New World. Only four species occur naturally in North America. Most species are annual, only a few perennial.
The Cosmea is a typical summer flower and not hardy
The cosmos are hardy, that's what the Cosmeen are also called, but not all of them. In fact, they are quite sensitive to slightly cooler temperatures. Your “pain limit” is already around +15 °C. When it gets colder, the plant loses its decorative and edible flowers.
Overwintering Perennial Cosmeen
A few species of Cosmea are perennial, for example the black-red flowering Cosmea atrosangiuneus. Because it smells like chocolate, it is also called chocolate flower or chocolate cosmea. These species form tuberous roots, much like dahlias do. That's why they can hibernate in the same way.
Dig up the root bulbs in autumn and store them frost-free at a temperature of around 5 °C. Only in a very mild area can you try wintering in the garden. Then you should protect the jewelry basket from the cold with a thick layer of mulch.
Overwintering potted plants is also quite easy with the Cosmea. Cut back the plant before the start of winter, this gives diseases and pests less space to attack. Then place the container in a frost-free room. The Cosmea does not need much care in winter. It should only be watered occasionally.
What to do with year-old cosmeen in winter?
To ensure that you also have beautiful cosmeuses in the next gardening season, you can start growing the young plants in late winter. You can get the seeds in nurseries or on the Internet, but you can also get them from your own plants in the garden. Sowing is easy because the cosmea germinates without any problems.
The essentials in brief:
- mostly annual
- rarely perennial
- Perennial species hibernate in a frost-free environment
- “Wintering” of annual species in the form of seeds