Cosmos are native to the meadowlands and scrub
lands of Mexico, where Spanish priests grew
them in mission gardens, christening them
with the Greek word meaning “harmony”
or “beautifully ordered.”
These exquisite flowers with the perfectly
arranged petals spread all over the Americas
— and beyond — but most species can still
be found in their native range.
Cosmos attract a myriad of pollinators, especially
Monarch butterflies.
In the wild, they grow in very dense colonies,
with their long, wispy stems intertwined so
as to hold the flowers’ heavy heads.
Cosmos’ genetic makeup helps explain such
close quarters; they’re self-sterile and
they only produce seeds if exposed to pollen
carrying genes other than their own.
(In botanical terms, this is known as self-incompatibility.)
They are also short-day plants, meaning that
they flower late in the season, when the daylight
hours are fewer.
Cosmos spread to European, American and Japanese
gardens in the 19th century, but because of
these factors most varieties remained virtually
unchanged from their wild form.
Cosmos began their climb to garden stardom
in the 1930s, when plant breeders came up
with varieties that could flower earlier in
the season.
They also developed dwarf plants and a range
of beautiful new colors.
In 1997, Van Hemert Seed Company, a Dutch
company with a long tradition of breeding
and seed exporting, decided to breed cosmos.
Flower breeder Rob van der Voort, who counts
cosmos as one of his favorite flowers, created
two exquisite selections, Velouette and Rubinato.
Baker Creek is proud to offer them.
Velouette is a traditional tall plant.
Its striking crimson blooms are striped with
white, and no two flowers are quite alike.
The award-winning Rubinato is a dwarf variety
with a more classical burgundy magenta color
and perfectly round blooms.
Cosmos are beloved wherever they grow, but
the Argentinian town of Villa Giardino, at
the foothills of the Andes and the edge of
the pampa desert, has a special affection
for the flowers.
Locals introduced cosmos to their gardens
in the 1970s, but the seeds quickly escaped
and began to colonize large expanses of fallow
land in the valley.
Each year, when the flowers bloom extravagantly
at the end of the austral summer, from mid
March to late April, Villa Giardino hosts
“Cosmosfiesta” to celebrate their beauty.
Invite this “harmonious flower” into your
garden!
