garden cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus Cav.

Garden cosmos combines airy foliage with broad, brightly coloured flower heads. It is an annual, completing its life cycle rather than returning from a permanent woody framework. In the garden it commonly grows two to four feet tall, with slender stems and leaves divided so finely that their outline looks almost fernlike. That light texture is as characteristic of this species as its familiar pink and white blooms. NC State Extension: Cosmos bipinnatus

Wear garden cosmos: explore the botanical t-shirt

Botanical name

Kew accepts Cosmos bipinnatus Cav. in Asteraceae. Kew POWO: Cosmos bipinnatus

Recognizing the plant

Each apparent flower is a head made of smaller flowers. Broad ray florets form the coloured outer rim, surrounding the compact central disk. Leaf divisions occur in two orders, reflected in the name bipinnatus. Leaves are arranged opposite one another on the stems. Cultivated selections vary in colour and stature, so a particular named cultivar should not be inferred from the species record. NC State Extension: Cosmos bipinnatus

Bloom window

North Carolina, United States

North Carolina Extension describes a summer flowering display; local frost and sowing time influence the garden season. NC State Extension: Cosmos bipinnatus

Native range

Kew treats Mexico as the native range and lists extensive introductions elsewhere. The plant’s familiarity in temperate gardens and roadsides therefore reflects cultivation and escape as well as its original geography. Kew POWO: Cosmos bipinnatus