Cosmos sulphureus
Sulphur cosmos, yellow cosmos, orange cosmos: smaller and more compact than its cousin, bipinnate cosmos, it makes up for it with incomparable color intensity, spanning the full range of yellows, oranges, and coppery reds. Native to Mexico, where it grows naturally along roadsides, it has retained from its origins exceptional hardiness.
Characteristics:
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Warm colors: a blend of bright yellow and orange, set against foliage that is more finely divided and delicate than that of pink cosmos.
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Compact growth: stockier than Cosmos bipinnatus, it stands better without staking.
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Long flowering period: from summer until the first frosts, without interruption.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: full sun, essential for intense colors.
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Soil: ordinary soil, even poor and dry, provided it is well drained. Beware of a common misconception: soil that is too rich or heavily fertilized produces lush foliage and few flowers. Do not fertilize; it performs best in lean soil.
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Method: sow directly in place from April in mild climates, and after the frosts elsewhere, covering the seeds lightly. No soaking or stratification is required. Thin to 30 cm apart. See how to sow seeds.
Care advice:
- Water moderately; it tolerates drought well once established. Remove faded flowers to extend flowering until the frosts.
Beneficial combinations:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its flat, wide-open flower heads are accessible to all pollinators, including small short-tongued species often overlooked by complex flowers.
- Its late flowering, continuing until the first frosts, makes it one of the season's last sources of food.
- Its seeds, left on the plant, feed goldfinches in late autumn.
Uses:
- Flower beds, borders, rock gardens, planters, and bouquets. Its cut flowers last well in a vase when picked as well-colored buds.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Leave a few faded flowers to form their elongated, black needle-shaped seeds, then harvest them once they are dry. Cosmos also readily self-seeds from one year to the next. See how to store your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, test them for germination rates, and carefully sort and package them without any chemical treatment. Our conviction: to give gardeners back the ability to reseed, year after year, with seeds that truly belong to them.
Bring an explosion of warm colors to your garden with these yellow and orange cosmos seeds.
