Cosmos - a bright, airy cottage style plant that attracts pollinators

Cosmos is one of the current stars in the Pollinator Border  in front of Bed #15. Last year it was deliberately planted, this year it came up from seed.  This is a plant that loves benign neglect. Benign neglect does require you to water but other than that, it does fine on its own. It doesn't get diseased, attract pests, etc.

You very seldom find the plants  for sale at the big box stores but seeds are easy to find at most stores or you can order them.  Sizes range from dwarf (1 - 2 foot tall) up to huge heights of 6-8 feet tall. They also come in a wide variety of colors - whites, pinks, purples, yellows, oranges and bicolors. I love them all because no matter which color you have, they are a fun plant.

When I was looking at the cosmos in the border on Thursday morning I noticed 4 or 5 different kinds of bees were using it as well as a variety of small butterflies. This particular butterfly is a skipper but I don't know what kind it is.

 

One reason this flower is such a good one to have in a pollinator border is because it is flat which allows more species to easily land on it. Another reason to grow it is because it blooms continuously.

 

If you aren't trying to collect seeds, just clip off the spent flower heads to make the plant devote its energies into making more flowers. But I do recommend you collect and dry some of the seeds so you can grow more  cosmos next year. The seeds are very easy to store and very easy to start next year. You can start new plants inside or just sprinkle them on the ground (after pulling the mulch away from the area you want them to grow.)

 

Spent flower head, almost spent flower, seeds ready to harvest