Cosmos Flower Seed

Cosmos - Cosmos Bipinnatus

Approximate seeds per pound: 89,000
Seeding rate: Plant cosmos flower seed at 15 pounds per acre
Height: Up to 5 ft.
Flower Color: Solid pink, white, maroon, and starburst pink with deep pink flares
Plant Type: Annual. Lives just one year. Grows quickly, blooms heavily, dies with first frost. Can regrow following spring if seed falls on bare ground.
Flower Type: Daisy-like
Bloom Time: Mid and late season
Are Cosmos Flowers invasive? No
Are Cosmos Flowers endangered? No
Are Cosmos Flowers edible? No
Are Cosmos Flowers medicinal? No
Regions: Native to desert areas, but can be grown successfully in all regions.
Zones: 3 - 10
Soil preference: Adaptable
Sun/Shade: Full Sun
Moisture Requirements: Average to arid
Germination: 7 - 21 days
Optimum soil temperature for germination: 70F - 80F
Sowing depth: Plant Cosmos flower seed 1/16" deep

Cosmos seed is one of the easiest of all the flower seeds in the world to grow. Cosmos seed looks like miniature pine needles, which makes seeding simple. Just scatter the flower seed over freshly turned bare soil, and then compress the seed into the dirt. Do not cover cosmos seed more then 1/16 of an inch. Because cosmos is so easy to grow in the worst conditions spring and summer have to offer, it can be seeded in the spring for early summer bloom or in mid-summer for late summer blooms until frost season begins. Since cosmos flower seeds actually sprout faster in hot soils and the plant grows best in hot, dry summer temperatures, you can increase your plant population and bloom display by cutting back spring-planted cosmos. When you plant cosmos in the the spring and it begins to look as if there are an abundance of dried seed pods, do not remove the plants. You can encourage re-bloom simply by cutting the plants back to 12 - 18 inches high. Allow those flower seed pods to open and drop their flower seeds for even more cosmos flowers.

After Cosmos flower seeds have sprouted, you'll notice fast-growing fern-leaved plants shooting up, usually taller than other seedlings around them. When cosmos plants are 4 to about 12" tall, they are some of the easiest seedlings of all to transplant. So take advantage, and just dig them and move them wherever you want them. As they grow, if soil is rich, they may reach 5' or taller, and develop like a small tree covered with large flowers. Cosmos flower seed when grown is famous for cutting, and you can cut whole "branches" off the big plants, and make spectacular arrangements. Bloom begins in mid-summer and continues with increasing numbers of flowers until frost. Remember this is a desert species, native to Mexico, so seeding should be done in cold areas after frosts end in spring, not during fall.