Annual Cosmea bipinnata steal the show from perennials with lavish blooms. From May until the first frost, decorative cosmoss are in the limelight in the flower bed, surrounded by bees, bumblebees and butterflies. The following answers to frequently asked questions explain in detail how to realize this sumptuous summer dream in your garden.

The color palette of the Cosmea ranges from soft white to strong red

Table of Contents

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  1. Plant cosmea correctly
  2. care tips
  3. Which location is suitable?
  4. What soil does the plant need?
  5. What is the best planting time?
  6. When is flowering time?
  7. Cut cosmea properly
  8. Pour cosmea
  9. Fertilize cosmea properly
  10. pests
  11. hibernate
  12. multiply cosmea
  13. Cosmea in pot
  14. Is cosmea poisonous?
  15. Beautiful varieties

    16. Plant cosmea correctly

    Plant your own early or ready-bought ornamental baskets in the bed in May at the earliest, when late ground frosts are no longer to be expected. Choose a sunny, warm and wind-protected location. Support options should be available for majestic varieties with a growth height of up to 200 cm. This is how the planting of Cosmea succeeds perfectly:

    • Dig small pits 35-40 cm apart in the loose, humus-rich soil
    • Place a stuffed jewelry basket in the middle of each
    • Fill up with unfertilized substrate to just below the first leaves
    • Do not press the soil too hard with your hands and water it

    Cosmea bipinnata will not develop their full flowering potential in heavily pre-fertilized soil. The modest demands on the nutrient supply are covered by a thin layer of compost, which is then spread over the root disk.

    care tips

    The decorative basket tirelessly unfolds its picturesque blossoms when it is given this care program:

    • Water regularly and generously for the first few days and weeks
    • Then only water Cosmea when the soil has dried well
    • Spread a mulch layer of compost in the bed, liquid fertilize in the pot every 3-4 weeks
    • Cut off wilted flower stalks to the nearest bud

    In September, leave the withered flowers on your decorative baskets until the seeds are ripe. In this way, the annual flowers take care of the next generation on their own. Before the first frost, cut the plant down to the ground to leave the roots in the ground as a food source for earthworms and fellows.
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    Which location is suitable?

    The jewelry basket presents itself as the floral embodiment of a sun worshiper. Therefore assign the flower to a sunny, warm and wind-protected location. A loose, humus-rich and well-drained soil offers Cosmea bipinnata ideal conditions.

    What soil does the plant need?

    The cosmos makes modest demands on the soil conditions. The soil should be well drained, humic and not too rich in nutrients. A first-class water drainage is particularly relevant, because the summer flower does not suffer from waterlogging. Where the soil does not meet the ideal conditions, soil additives compensate. Too dense, loamy soil is loosened up with sand, fine grit or leaf soil. Sandy-dry soil immediately takes on a more stable consistency after adding bark humus or compost.

    What is the best planting time?

    Since cosmos flowers cannot stand the cold, the planting time for early flowers begins in early/mid-May. The plants should not be placed in the bed as long as delayed ground frost is to be expected. So that strong young plants start the season with a vital growth advantage, we recommend propagation by sowing from mid-March.

    When is flowering time?

    In a sunny, warm location, the cosmos fulfills its floral promise and blooms tirelessly from May to October. Specimens sown directly in the bed start their blossom festival from July. The single or double bowl-shaped flowers compete with the sun in beautiful shades of white, pink-red and yellow. However, the Blossom Festival would not succeed entirely without your help. Cut off wilted flowers consistently and promptly, make room for continuous reblooming.

    Cut cosmea properly

    Lush flowering cosmos flowers make excellent cut flowers. Cut off the prettiest stems in the morning when the flowers have just opened. Regularly cut off wilted flower stalks to just above the next bud. This prudent measure is rewarded with a continuous bloom and a well-groomed appearance. Do not wait until seed formation begins, because this process unnecessarily costs the annual Cosmea a lot of effort. If self-sowing is desired, leave the flowers on the plant from September until the first frost. Only then cut off the above-ground parts of the plant close to the ground. Ideally, the delicate roots remain in the ground as food for busy soil organisms.

    Pour cosmea

    The jewelery basket can withstand short-term dryness without permanent damage. However, this stress should be the exception. With a regular water supply, you significantly support the vitality and willingness to bloom of Cosmea. If the soil dries up to a depth of 1-2 cm on the surface, it is watered. Avoid overhead watering of the delicate cup-shaped flowers and filigree foliage. Instead, pour the normal tap water directly onto the root disk in the early morning or in the evening hours

    Fertilize cosmea properly

    With regard to the supply of nutrients, the ornamental basket proves to be an ascetic. His desire for a rather poor soil already indicates that the focus is rarely on fertilizer. In the bed, a thin layer of compost mulch covers the nutrient requirement. If Cosmea thrive in a bucket or window box, apply a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants every 3-4 weeks from May to September.

    pests

    As if voracious slugs envied us the culinary delights of the edible cosmea blossoms, the pests are constantly attacking the flower. Therefore, keep an eye on the threat as part of the planting process. Ideally, place individual young plants in the ground with a snail collar. Small and large groups of cosmos receive the protection of a snail fence. Traveling barriers made of sharp materials such as grit or broken pottery have also proven effective in keeping the insatiable snails away. Scatter a ring of coffee grounds or ground coffee around the summer flowers, as caffeine is toxic to the pests. If the infestation pressure is high, set up gap traps with slug pellets. These specially constructed traps prevent the harmless snails from falling victim to the poison. The ultimate slug killer is as effective as it is cute. If you have Indian runner ducks in your garden, you no longer need to worry about bare cupids and other ornamental plants.

    hibernate

    Native to the tropical, warm regions of the world, such as Mexico, Guatemala or Costa Rica, Cosmos bipinnatus are not frost-resistant. If the temperatures fall below 12-15 degrees Celsius in autumn, the summer blooms inevitably come to an end. So that the garden doesn't have to do without the decorative baskets next year, leave the withered flowers on the plant for self-sowing from September. Optionally, collect the dark seed pods, keep them in a dry container and grow the next Cosmea generation behind glass from March.
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    multiply cosmea

    In autumn, wait until the seed pods turn dark when ripe. Use your fingers to pinch off the achaea to dry them in an airy place for a few days. Keep the seeds in an airtight, dark screw-top jar in a cool basement until next spring. This is how the propagation succeeds by sowing on the windowsill:

    • Fill a seed tray with peat sand or commercial seed soil at the beginning/middle of March
    • Mix the tiny seeds with bird sand and sow thinly
    • Sieve the seeds 1-2 cm high with substrate or vermiculite and press down
    • Moisten with a fine spray, put on a plastic bag and place on the partially shaded window sill
    • At a warm 18-20 degrees Celsius, do not let the substrate dry out and ventilate the hood daily

    As soon as the first cotyledons sprout, the plastic cover has done its job and is removed. In the further course, select the strongest seedlings with at least 2 pairs of leaves in order to prick them out in individual pots. Keep the soil slightly moist and do not apply fertilizer. By mid-May, your pupils will have developed into strong ornamental baskets to be used in beds or pots.

    Cosmea in pot

    In the pot and flower box (€16.99), decorative baskets transform balconies and terraces into a colorful summer fairy tale. So that the Cosmea perennial bloomers last from May to October, choose a high-quality potting soil with a low peat content. The addition of sand, lava granules (€13.99) or expanded clay (€19.73) prevents waterlogging, as does a piece of pottery over the water drain. How to care for the annual flower in the planter with expertise:

    • If the surface of the substrate dries, pour moderately
    • Pour out the coaster after 10 minutes at the latest
    • In the pre-fertilized substrate, fertilize every 3-4 weeks from July to September

    Cut off faded flowers regularly to make room for rebloom. If the annual summer flowers have lost their beauty in late autumn, the plant parts can be disposed of on the compost.

    Is cosmea poisonous?

    The jewelry basket is non-toxic. Plant the opulent daisy family in your family garden without hesitation. The pretty cup flowers are not only a feast for the eyes, but are also ideal for use in the creative kitchen. As an edible decoration, the cosmea blossoms add a special touch to hot and cold dishes.
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    Beautiful varieties

    • Daydream: Enchanting play of colors in delicate white-pink nuances from June to September; Growth height 100-120 cm
    • Pink Popsocks: Preppy jewelry basket with pink pompom flowers; Growth height 60-70 cm
    • Gazebo: The colorful Cosmea draws attention to itself with dark red flowers decorated with a yellow throat; Growth height 75 cm
    • Double Click: Premium variety with lush double flowers in white, red and pink; ideal for the vase; Growth height up to 120 cm
    • Sonata White: scores with early flowering, compact, stable growth and pure white flowers; Growth height 50-60 cm
    • Candy Stripes: The perpetual bloomer impresses with white flowers edged in red; Growth height 90-100 cm
    • Border Gold: A wonderful yellow-orange mixture for brightly colored flower beds; Growth height 50-60 cm

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Herbs