Cosmos

Nature 3 Minutes

Cosmos are freely flowering annuals that are easy to grow by sprinkling some seeds in the garden after any danger of frost has passed. These quintessential cottage garden flowers reach full maturity in about two months. Cosmos can be slower to germinate, but it blooms quickly after that and continues to flower through the fall. The flowers sit atop long slender stems and form a cloud of attractive color all summer that attracts bees, butterflies, and birds to your garden. Cosmos flowers look a lot like daisies. They come in a broad range of colors, with more cultivars developed every year. The leaves grow opposite on stems and are deeply lobed, pinnate, or bipinnate and feathery-looking depending on the type. If you plan to have cosmos and live in the southern U.S., consider keeping them as potted plants since they tend to be invasive there.

Cosmos grow easily in beds and make great cut flowers. When established, the plants can handle drought, poor soil conditions, and general neglect. They even self-sow. This is a truly low-maintenance plant.

While some pests, like aphids, flea beetles, and thrips feed on cosmos, they’re easy to control with a strong spray of water or insecticidal soap. Aster yellows, bacterial wilt, and powdery mildew may also affect cosmos. Space plants accordingly to ensure good airflow to avoid diseases.

Taller varieties look good in the middle or rear of the border with goat’s beard, coneflowers, and black-eyed Susans. Shorter varieties make very colorful, airy edging plants.

Light

For the best flowering, choose a site that gets full sun. Cosmos will grow in partial shade but will have fewer blooms and be less vigorous when planted in shady areas. These plants will also thrive under uninterrupted full sun in the hottest conditions, much like their native habitat: the arid regions of Mexico and Central America.

Soil

Cosmos plants prefer a neutral soil with a pH of 6.0 to 8.0, although they will grow in poor soil where many flowering plants languish. They perform best in medium moisture, well-drained soils, but they will perform adequately in dry soils. Avoid planting in a rich soil; it can cause the plants to get too tall and flop over. You can prevent drooping by staking the plants or growing them close to other plants that can support them.

Water

Once established, you will not need to water your cosmos plants unless there is a prolonged drought. Where water is limited, these are the last plants that require irrigation.

Temperature and Humidity

Hot weather is ideal for cosmos, and they thrive in any humidity level.

Fertilizer

Fertilizing can negatively impact cosmos. Cosmos can handle poor soil. Too much fertilizer can often lead to strong plants with lots of foliage but few blooms. Unless your plants seem to be struggling, these plants do not need fertilizer.

Types of Cosmos

There are over 25 species of cosmos. However, three species are most commonly used in gardens and landscaping. Cosmos sulphureus is native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. With golden yellow blooms, it is very drought tolerant and loves hot weather. The plant grows 2 to 6 feet tall and comes in double and semi-double flowers. Some of the more recent cultivars tend to be shorter, more orangy, and with smaller flowers.

Cosmos bipinnatus are colorful daisy-like flowers that come in white, pinks, reds, and orange. At 1 to 4 feet in height, they are shorter than C. suphureus and are available in several popular hybrid series. Although they are not quite as heat tolerant as C. sulphureus, C. bipinnatus will grow well in just about any sunny space.

Chocolate cosmos are a separate species: Cosmos atrosanguineus. The dark red flowers smell like chocolate. This perennial is hardy to USDA zone 7, but it is higher maintenance than annual cosmos. Like dahlias, it grows from tubers.

Other common cosmos cultivars include:

‘Bright Lights’ mix: This variety boasts a blend of exuberant yellows, oranges, and reds.

‘Cosmic Orange’: This brilliant, semi-double orange flower has great drought tolerance.

‘Peppermint Candy’: An award-winning variety, the petals are splashed in magenta and white.

‘Sea Shells’ series: A pretty mix of pastel colors, it has distinctive tubular petals.

‘Ladybird’: This cosmos is a shorter variety that blooms in red, yellow, orange, or gold, averaging 18 to 24 inches tall. 

SOURCE: The Spruce

Unknown's avatar

Published by pat frederick

Published

126 thoughts on “Cosmos”

  1. Morning All!
    what a day yesterday! we took a different route down this time because of where the restaurant was located. Beautiful mountain scenery–the leaves are just starting to turn colors! But the little towns!!! Magnificent stone churches in nearly every one! and the homes–there were a lot of competing neighbors for the most elaborate Halloween decorations. we discussed coming thru that way in December to see the Christmas displays as long as the weather is perfect because the mountainous routes would be horrendously slippery.
    my daughter was genuinely surprised!! the look on her face was priceless!
    coming home though, an accident occurred on 1-80 right before we got on. traffic was backed up and moving at a snail’s pace for miles and miles…sigh

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Morning, Pat! Sounds like a very pleasant drive! I’ll bet it would be gorgeous at Xmas! Nipply here – it was 39 when I got up at 4:45 after falling asleep in my chair early. It is now down to 36! I’ve put GT’s food dish out on the patio but I’m not propping the doggie door open any more. Jake has come to look several times but no sign of her yet. I think…hope…we’re finally done with the rain! I can see some stars at least.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Morning Filly!
        it was gorgeous!
        it was overcast much of the day yesterday but at least no rain while we were at the party. it rained on and off all the way home though

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Real Buddy Smot
    October 16, 2023 12:29 am

    AMERICA FIRST SUES BIDEN OVER VIOLATING THE TAYLOR FORCE ACT
    BIDEN KNOWINGLY FUNDED THE HAMAS ATTACK

    The Taylor Force Act (22 USC § 2346) is a law to stop American foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) until the PA ceases paying stipends through the Martyr’s Fund to individuals who commit acts of terrorism and to the families of deceased terrorists. After taking office, Biden quickly resumed sending foreign aid to Palestine. He knew they were using our funds to pay money to terrorists and the families of dead terrorists. In short, Biden knowingly funded the Hamas attack.

    To my establishment Republican friends who worked to defeat Trump in 2020 – Nice call guys. How proud you must be.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. starfcker
    starfcker
    October 16, 2023 12:37 am

    “We have means of communicating privately with Iran.” Jake Sullivan. At the risk going to federal prison, I’m going to expose that National Security information right here. Their first option was just to use the numbers in Barky’s speed dial, but they went with plan number two instead. Don’t ever believe these guys aren’t clever. They figured out a way to hide a note in a 50 million dollar pallet of $100 bills. And Iranians just tape their reply to the bottom of the empty pallet and ship it back. This method has worked flawlessly for years and nobody has figured it out and exposed it until now.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. NeverDesantis
    NeverDesantis
    October 16, 2023 1:27 am

    Wait til you see what the RINOs are cooking up to stop Jordan from being speaker. Rumor has it the Dems and the RINOs are going to work together and nominate none other than Liz Cheney for Speaker which pretty much shuts down any Biden investigations, impeachment, and brings even more investigations into Trump. Now we know what Achmed Jefferies was crowing about Democrats getting back power.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Troublemaker10
    Troublemaker10
    October 16, 2023 1:34 am

    Rite Aid files for bankruptcy, will close underperforming stores

    Excerpt:

    Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday and said it plans to close “underperforming stores.”

    Why it matters: The Philadelphia-based drugstore chain’s bankruptcy filing comes as it faces federal, state and other lawsuits tied to allegedly filling unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids.

    https://www.axios.com/2023/10/16/rite-aid-bankruptcy-chapter-11-closing-stores

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Charlotte99
    October 16, 2023 1:57 am

    4th Iranian ‘special interest alien’ apprehended this month in Texas, US customs confirms

    Last week, CBP agents apprehended two Lebanese nationals in Eagle Pass, who were also considered to be “special interest aliens.”

    CBP has also apprehended an Egyptian man in his 40s. Separately, in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, officials have apprehended 19 Iranians and 17 Syrians since Monday.

    https://nypost.com/2023/10/15/4th-iranian-special-interest-alien-apprehended-this-month-in-texas-us-customs-confirms/

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said Sunday that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is “just a front man,” and that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “still rules with an iron fist,” during an appearance on Newsmax.

    Gaetz made the comment while explaining why Republicans have had more public infighting than the Democrats. His recent motion to vacate led to the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

    Gaetz said it is Pelosi’s control of House Democrats which allows them to stay in lockstep.

    After Jim Jordan was elected Speaker-Designate on Friday, Speaker Pro Tem @PatrickMcHenry made us take Saturday off, Sunday off, and now MONDAY OFF!

    The Swamp is trying to delay a vote on the House floor as long as possible, hoping conservatives will move backward to Kevin… pic.twitter.com/Z9SjqiNRz0

    — Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 15, 2023

    “By the way, she’s still the one in charge of that conference,” Gaetz continued on Newsmax’s “Sunday Agenda.” “I mean, Hakeem Jeffries is the front man, but the person who’s really calling the shots among the Democrats is Nancy Pelosi.”

    Pelosi, who served multiple stints as House speaker beginning in 2007, stepped down as speaker after the Democrats lost their House majority in 2022, at which point McCarthy began his ill-fated tenure. After Pelosi stepped down, Jeffries took the lead of House Democrats as minority leader in the next session of Congress.

    In the same interview, Gaetz speculated that on the Republican side, the vote on Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan was delayed to Tuesday in order for moderate Republicans to reinsert McCarthy into the speaker position. Gaetz supports Jordan in his bid for the House speakership.

    “We should not go backward with Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz said. “We should go forward with Jim Jordan.”

    Pelosi and Jeffries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    https://thelibertydaily.com/matt-gaetz-says-hakeem-jeffries-is-just-frontman/

    Liked by 1 person

  22. “Desantis Donors Are Loading Up Glenn Youngkin’s PAC With Cash As ‘Plan B’ To Stop Trump In 2024 — The donor class has finally realized that Ron DeSantis has no path to victory, which is why they are now betting on the Governor of Virginia as a way to stop a Trump 2024 victory.”
    LAURA LOOMER
    OCT 16, 2023

    EXCERPT: “….I am told by several sources that Youngkin is planning to launch a 2024 run for President in the coming months. Youngkin is set to hold a multi-day retreat fundraiser under his Political Action Committee called ‘Spirit of Virginia’ on October 17th and 18th at the Historic Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The fundraiser is being held just weeks before Virginia will hold their State elections. Youngkin is hoping to flip the State Senate from Republican to Democrat as a means to promote himself to the National political stage, much like the tactics deployed by Ron DeSantis before he launched his failed Presidential campaign.

    A quick search on the Virginia campaign finance database reveals that tactics are not the only thing that Governor Youngkin and Governor DeSantis have in common. They also share many of the same donors. In fact, some of the largest donors to DeSantis’s Presidential campaign have now crossed over, and are dumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s ‘Spirit of Virginia’ PAC….
    —————-
    Upon examination, even the donors who claimed to be supporting Ron DeSantis in the 2024 Election were not only donating to DeSantis, but many of them have also donated to other anti-Trump Republicans currently running for President. This is evidence that these high-level GOP donors are not funding candidates based on policy, or the chance that they might win, but simply funding whoever it takes to stop President Trump from securing the nomination. These donors have absolutely no loyalty to any of the candidates that they are pouring money into. Their hatred for President Trump is greater than their love for their country.

    One of these mega donors is Jeffery Yass, a Pennsylvania resident who has an estimated net worth of over $28.5 Billion. His donation history highlights this trend of frantic establishment GOP donors better than almost anyone. Yass Is the wealthiest man in all of Pennsylvania. On June 30th, 2023, Yass donated an astounding $250,000 to a Political Action Committee called ‘Tell It Like It Is PAC’. That PAC is associated with current candidate for President, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

    Yass has also recently donated $2,000,000 to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. The Virginia Campaign Finance database shows a $2 million donation from Yass to ‘Spirit of Virginia’ on October 3rd, 2023, just four months after Yass had dumped a quarter of a million dollars into failed candidate Chris Christie.

    When Ron DeSantis launched his campaign for President, he did so after pressuring the Florida Legislator to pass a law which would allow him to transfer his State campaign account donations to his federal campaign account. He was successful in this effort, giving DeSantis an initially inflated cash on hand figure. Of course, DeSantis is broke now, with less than $5 Million in cash before the Primary has even really started. However, much of the cash that DeSantis transferred from his State account “Friends of Ron DeSantis” came from Jeffery Yass, who dumped a reported $2.5 Million into DeSantis’s 2022 Florida Gubernatorial re-electionvcampaign….”

    https://lauraloomer.substack.com/p/desantis-donors-are-loading-up-glenn

    Liked by 1 person

  26. guess what else we saw yesterday? along the one highway, parked in the median section (where normally the police park to catch speeders) there were 4 corvettes–classics! and then we spotted fluorescent green vested volunteers picking up trash along the highway. up the road we spotted the sign…keep PA roads clean–sponsored by the Classic Corvette Club.

    Liked by 1 person

  33. long tweet…but a lot of info

    Natalie Winters
    @nataliegwinters
    EXC: Hunter Biden Owned Financial Stake In Digital Banking Platform For Undocumented Migrants, Introduced Founder To Joe Biden.

    ➡️ ePlata, a digital banking platform partnered with the Mexican government to enable migrants to send and receive remittances, has deep financial and personnel ties to Hunter Biden.

    The fintech startup describes itself as a “multi-balance, multi-currency digital wallet and payment ecosystem” and was founded by one of Hunter Biden’s long-time business partners Jeff Cooper. Documents unearthed from Hunter Biden’s hard drive also reveal that the president’s son held an 8.25 percent stake in ePlata through his company Owasco LLC, though it is unclear if he still retains the position.

    Several individuals who have financial ties to Hunter Biden, however, have recently been appointed to the company’s Board of Directors.

    Emails obtained from Hunter Biden’s hard drive prove the president’s son was profiting off of ePlata, receiving a $20,000 wire transfer from the company in April 2015.

    ePlata “offers worldwide banking without the need for a traditional bank account,” continues a company synopsis, which also raises concerns about the platform potentially being used for money laundering and other criminal activities including human trafficking.

    While ePlata was launched in 2016, in recent years it has made broader efforts to grow, including appointing several Hunter Biden-linked individuals to its Global Advisory Board in 2019.

    ePlata also appears to have a financial interest in supporting mass migration to the U.S. given the company positioning itself as the premier platform for sending and receiving remittances. In emails obtained from Hunter Biden’s hard drive, the company pitched itself as “focused on providing cross-border remittances.”

    Remittances represent a key financial aspect of mass migration – both legal and illegal – as it refers to migrants sending funds from their current country of residence back to their home country. The payments constitute a massive industry worth over $150 billion annually in the U.S. alone and harm America’s economy, as the sizable sum leaves the country untaxed.

    Mexico consistently ranks as the top destination for outbound remittances from the U.S., and nearly 95 percent of inbound remittances to Mexico come from migrants living in the U.S.

    ePlata has made the controversial form of payment a cornerstone of its business, highlighting how the platform can be used for “cross-border remittances” on the front page of its website:

    “Labor moves around the globe, and when workers move so does their money. The global nature of labor often makes it difficult for someone to have a bank account in the country where they are employed. This is why ePlata allows you to transact in the currency of your choice and without limits across geographic borders. Is there any reason money transfers should be more expensive because one person lives in a different country? ePlata does not think so. With ePlata, simple, secure and inexpensive international transactions are now in the palm of your hand.”
    Contrary to traditional bank regulations, ePlata appears to make sending and receiving money easy for users, including illegal aliens, given its lax identification requirements for signing up.

    “You can then create an ePlata account by simply entering your name, address, email address and mobile number. That’s it, no hassle, no pain, no cost. With ePlata, setting your money free is as easy as one, two, three,” explains a summary of the platform’s onboarding.

    The company’s emphasis on remittances comes amidst its 2019 partnership with the Mexican government whereby the Office of the Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer, which falls under the auspices of the Mexican Attorney General, selected ePlata as one of two fintech companies it endorsed for citizens to send and receive remittances.

    The head of Mexico’s Consumer Protection Agency also highlighted ePlata as one of the country’s leading platforms for sending and receiving remittances during a presidential press briefing.

    Jeff Cooper, the founder of ePlata, and Hunter Biden have a long history of collaboration, including on some of the president’s son’s most controversial business dealings implicating Joe Biden exposed through his “Hard Drive From Hell.”

    While pursuing deals with Mexican billionaires during Joe Biden’s tenure as Vice President, Cooper and Hunter Biden exploited the privileges of the office – including White House Events, trips on Air Force Two, and meetings with Joe Biden – to lure clients.

    Cooper, who has appeared in photos with Hunter, Joe, and various Mexican billionaires, even joined Hunter on a February 2016 Air Force Two flight to Mexico.
    Hunter Biden and Cooper had previously worked together trying to raise funds from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim for their venture Ocho Gaming, which a whistleblower recently revealed that Joe Biden was involved in as a “silent investor.”

    The hard drive also reveals that as late as 2018, Hunter Biden and Cooper were still soliciting money from the Slim family with the assistance of Joe Biden.

    “Spoke to my dad about ‘Slim ask,’ ” Hunter wrote Cooper after a visit from his father in Los Angeles. “Oh that sounds SO F’ING GOOD” replied Cooper.

    ePlata appears to still maintain its links to Hunter Biden, appointing three individuals to its eight-person board in addition to Cooper who are linked to the president’s son.

    Among the members of the advisory board is Vuk Jeremic, a former President of the United Nations General Assembly who became a consultant for Chinese energy giant CEFC, which partnered with Hunter on a multi-million-dollar oil and gas deal.

    Board member Miguel Aleman Magnani was also engaged in business deals with Hunter Biden which eventually led to him meeting then-Vice President Joe Biden.

    “I have brought every single person you have ever asked me to bring to the F’ing White House and the Vice President’s house and the inauguration and then you go completely silent,” Hunter Biden wrote in an email to Magnani, alluding to his exploitation of his father’s political office on behalf of his business partners.

    “I don’t know what it is that I did but I’d like to know why I’ve delivered on every single thing you’ve ever asked” and you make me feel like I’ve done something to offend you,” he added.

    Fellow Board Member Xin Wang is a Managing Director at BHR Partners
    Xin Wang is also on the board of ePlata, concurrently serving as a Managing Director BHR Partners, a highly controversial joint venture between an investment fund founded by Biden and Obama-era Secretary of State John Kerry’s stepson and the state-owned Bank of China.

    The president’s son pledged to divest of his 10 percent stake in BHR Partners in 2019, which was notoriously birthed less than two weeks after Biden traveled to China alongside his father and then-Vice President, but reportedly still owns 10 percent of the fund.

    In addition to the aforementioned Hunter Biden links plaguing ePlata, perhaps the biggest conflict of interest is the fact that the company benefits from Joe Biden’s failure to secure the southern border and continued enabling of unprecedented levels of legal and illegal immigrants to enter the U.S.

    As this population grows, ostensibly ePlata’s profits through more remittances being sent and received increase, too.

    ePlata’s expansion – which includes collaboration with governments in countries such as Mexico – also overlaps with the agenda of groups such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) and G20 to roll out “digital identity” infrastructure worldwide.

    Once in effect, these systems have often laid the groundwork for China-style “social credit” scoring systems and even vaccine passports.

    Liked by 1 person

  34. sophie
    October 16, 2023 10:35 am

    Jim Ferguson
    @JimFergusonUK

    Breaking USA : I’m hearing reports that Rep. Mike Rogers has indicated that he is now supporting Jim Jordon for Speaker of the House and moving his vote to a yes for Jim. This would be a huge win for the Trump endorsed candidate.
    #USA #SpeakerOfTheHouse #Trump

    Liked by 1 person

  39. sync
    sync
    October 16, 2023 12:07 pm

    NY State net zero plan is turning to dust

    Not one project has even been started. These developers will just walk away. The NYPSC is blowing in the wind.

    PSC:The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today denied petitions filed by a group of offshore wind developers and a state renewable energy trade association seeking billions of dollars in additional funding from consumers for four proposed offshore wind projects and 86 land-based renewable projects. In denying financial relief, the Commission opted to preserve the robust competitive bidding process that provides critically needed renewable energy resources to New York in the fairest and most cost-effective manner that protects consumers.

    NYT:Rory Christian, the chairman of the (New York State) Public Service Commission, the state’s utility regulator, said that providing relief to the winning bidders would set an untenable precedent. “Taking exception today almost guarantees that we will be asked to do this again in the future,” he said. Mr. Christian added that the state’s ratepayers, who would have borne the cost, could not serve as an “unlimited piggy bank” for companies to tap. “We have a deal,” he said to the developers, calling on them to stand by the terms they agreed to.

    Green Energy Builders Sought Billions More in Subsidies. New York Said No.
    NYT: https://archive.ph/TR76T

    PSC: https://dps.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2023/10/pr23105.pdf

    Liked by 1 person

  41. TwoLaine
    TwoLaine
    October 16, 2023 1:10 pm

    Total B.S.!

    Judge Prohibits Trump From Speaking Out Against Prosecutors, Others
    The judge said she would consider sanctions if President Trump violated the order.
    By Sam Dorman and Catherine Yang
    10/16/2023
    https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/judge-hears-arguments-about-gag-order-on-trump-5510819

    Based on this ruling the judge should prohibit the media and everyone else on the planet from discussing the non-“case”, because they are the inflammatory and defamatory ones.

    Liked by 1 person

      3. TheseTruths
        TheseTruths(@thesetruths)Online
        Wolf
        Reply to pgroup2
        October 16, 2023 15:16

        I had never heard of them. From January 3, 2023:

        Who are the GOP’s ‘Five Families’ factions involved in McCarthy’s speakership negotiations?

        House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is working closely with different factions of the Republican Party, known together as the “Five Families,” as he looks to secure his bid for speakership this week.

        McCarthy has been calling the five factions of the GOP conference the “Five Families” in an apparent mafia joke. The term comes from a nod to the five well-known major organized Italian crime families in the New York City area – the novel “The Godfather” also featured five fictional crime families…

        The GOP factions include the House Freedom Caucus, the Republican Study Committee, the Republican Main Street Caucus, the Republican Tuesday Group/Republican Governance Group and the Problem Solvers Caucus.

        The original five families: Bonnano, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese.

        Liked by 1 person


  44. “Three years ago today, Samuel Paty a French history teacher, was murdered and decapitated because he showed some caricatures of Muhammad in class…”


    “Before they nuke us all, I’d at least like to know what was in the Bush funeral envelopes and the sheet handed to Laura Bush…”

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.