The Joy and Abundance of Cosmos as a Cut Flower
After growing cosmos for many years, I wanted to shine a light on this joyful, airy, and abundant flower that is often overlooked in the cut flower garden. Cosmos aren’t the longest-lasting cut flowers, but when harvested at the proper stage and processed correctly, they can last well beyond a week in the vase. Few flowers can claim the strength and airiness that a cosmo holds. Cosmos aren’t easy to ship, making them a great option for locally sourced cut flowers.
A low-maintenance, self-sowing, cut-and-come-again flower
In 2020, I planted a few rows of cosmos in a corner of the garden. Some took and many didn’t. The ones that grew, were happy, and, throughout the season, adapted to the local climate. In the following years, they sprouted EVERYWHERE in various shades and shapes of pink and maroon. A prolific self-sower, I’ve leaned on cosmo flowers in bouquet creation from late spring through fall year after year. While some may find that they aren’t worth the maintenance, I feel blessed to have them. A true cut-and-come-again annual flower, each plant seems to thrive off of deep cuts and deadheading, asking little in return in terms of nutrients, moisture, sunlight, or temperature. In a year of grasshopper and earwig doom, my cosmos seemed unphased. For as airy and free as cosmos may appear, they are a workhorse requiring minimal care.
When to cut cosmos for bouquets, deadheading, and how pollinators affect cut cosmos
I’m a bit picky when I cut a cosmo stem for a bouquet, with the ideal stage in a cracking bud, or just opened. I like to choose stems with many blooms, so that the spray can open in the vase, giving movement and new life to an arrangement over time.
When a flower opens and invites pollinators in, it’s often too late for that stem to be cut as the bees have done their part in the cycle, making the flower drop pollen, and soon its petals.
Consistent deadheading is a must for an individual cosmo plant to continue to bloom. Like most annuals, the plants’ “purpose” is to produce seed. Once seed is successfully produced, the plant no longer has a need to create blooms. As a cut flower farmer, it’s often my job to interrupt seed production in an effort to signal the plant to push more blooms. Luckily, cosmos are so prolific that there are plenty of flowers for the pollinators and you!
A happy bee enjoying a newly opened cosmo
Notice the various bud stages in the white, cream, pink, and maroon cosmos.
Sowing Cosmos in a Mixed Bed for Maximum Production and Weed Supression
A blush gladiolus stem standing tall amidst the cosmos.
Over the years, while enjoying the bounty of self-sown cosmos, I attempted the fancier and more unique cultivars, cupcakes, chocolate, creams, and salmons, all with ZERO success. Inexperience, weather, soil health, seed viability, water, or who knows what prevented those attempts.
Midsummer of this year, I took a chance and tried a multitude of white and creamy yellow cosmos mixed into a trail gladiola bed. The risk (and pretty heavy, lazy seeding on my part) more than paid off. Two rows of white cosmos have been busting at the seams, choking out weeds, and allowing the gladiolus time to blossom, while the self-sown pink and maroon cosmos continue to pop up and flourish wherever I allow.
The lesson here seems to be one of no-fuss. As with nearly all things in nature, the plants know what they’re doing.
“I can’t imagine my garden without cosmos and often take a long moment to watch as they sway in the wind. Taking note of their combined grace and strength.”
Cosmo history, lore, and meaning
A quick little search helped me to understand what I’ve intuitively known about this special flower:
⚖️ Coming from the Greek word “cosmos,” referring to the universe, Cosmos represents the unity and balance of everything that makes up the universe.
🌾 Cosmo flowers abundantly and invites positivity and fortune to ward off negative energy (they sure are abundant in my garden!)
🇯🇵 Cosmos are the official flower of the World Kindness Movement that began in Japan
While cosmos do not have *known* herbal benefits, it is used in flower essences.
🪶Cosmos are sensitive to their environment, yet quick to adapt, agile, and have the most airy feather-like quality while being "sturdy" at the same time.
🌻They turn to the sun (or cosmos 🌌) just like sunflowers, sway gorgeously in the wind, and bring joy to many.
🌱Being quick and prolific in growth means there's always another bud popping, even as others on the same stem are "dying' and going to seed to further new growth.
🤍A great flower for communication, creativity, easing negativity, focus, and clarity.