How to Grow Chocolate Cosmos

Chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguinea) is both nose and eye candy for your garden. When it's in full bloom, mature blossoms on long, slender stems look like candy kisses on a stick and fill the late afternoon with the sweet scent of vanilla tinged chocolate. New blossoms hug the foliage of the plant, nearly concealing it with their numbers! Add to that the sweet chocolate fragrance and you end up with something very special.

Although chocolate cosmos is endangered in the wild, transplants are easily found at most nurseries and garden centers in the spring. However, gardeners who are inexperienced in how to grow chocolate cosmos may overlook what seem to be small, messy tangles of miniature dahlia leaves, unaware that once established, prolific blossoms nearly conceal the foliage. Once in bloom, chocolate cosmos blossoms continuously throughout the summer into the first frosts of autumn.

If you're planning a gothic garden, chocolate cosmos is the plant for you. Sometimes referred to as black cosmos, dark maroon blossoms are so deep in color that they appear brown/black in late afternoon and evening.

A native of Mexico, the chocolate cosmos is a half-hardy perennial and a sun loving plant that is moderately drought tolerant.

You'll most easily grow chocolate cosmos from transplants purchased at your local garden center or nursery. Large clumps of established plants can also be divided to provide as many as three or four transplants.

Plant chocolate cosmos in organically rich, well-drained soil in a location that gets full sun. Keep the transplants moist until they established roots and you see the beginnings of some new growth.

In the fall, when foliage dies back, cut plants back to about two inches from the root and over-winter them in a frost-free area. Chocolate cosmos is hardy in zones 7-10. In these zones, you may opt to cover the plants with a cloche to protect them from danger of frost.

Hans is an author of Gardening Tips Tricks and Howto's. Hans writes and inspire you to try new ideas from her own experience.

---

How and When to Plant Roses

When spring comes and the ground is thawed, it is... Read More

Poly Tarps: More Than Meets The Eye

To many people, "tarp" conjures an image of a crumpled... Read More

How to Grow Bananas

If your grocer says, "Yes, we have no bananas. We... Read More

Teak Outdoor Furniture - Where Function Meets Beauty

The wonderful thing about choosing teak outdoor furniture is that... Read More

Slugging It Out In The Trenches

In an effort to introduce a shaft of sunlight into... Read More

Granite Flexible Preformed Rock Ponds

More than just a Preformed PondTraditionally, preformed ponds are large... Read More

Invite Spring Early - Grow in Your Basement

Now's the time to get ready to grow your own... Read More

The Ivy League

Parthenocissus tricuspidata is commonly known as Boston Ivy, Cottage Ivy,... Read More

Vermicomposting - Worm Composters For Eco-Friendly Waste Disposal and Recycling

Worms are not only the gardener's best friend, they are... Read More

How To Brighten Up Your Home With These Flower Arrangement Ideas

A beautiful flower arrangement piece can become the focal point... Read More

Composting - aka: The Circle of Life!

Composting is where the gardening thing comes full circle. You've... Read More

Planning a Water Garden...

A water garden is the area of your landscape that... Read More

Commercial and Residential Flagpoles

The world's tallest unsupported flagpole is located in Amman, Jordan.... Read More

Organic Roses in the Flower Garden

Many people believe growing their flowers and vegetables organically is... Read More

Can Your Sundial Really Tell The Time?

"I am a sundial, and I make a botch Of... Read More

Easy to Grow Roses

There are many different types of roses. If you are... Read More

Introduction to Aquaponics

Hydroponics and aquaponics are very similar in every way except... Read More

How to Create a Wildflower Garden

In today's gardens often populated by geraniums, roses, and zinnias,... Read More

Parsley: A Cooks Best Friend

A cook's best friend, Petroselinum crispum, commonly known as curly... Read More

Flower Meanings & History of Flowers

The charming and delicate beauty of flowers has fascinated people... Read More

Composting and Composters: A Basic Introduction

Why Compost?Recent studies show that an average family throws away... Read More

Wooden You Like to Know? A Primer to Wood Outdoor Furnishings

To many people, wood is the quintessential building material for... Read More

A Teak Table - Accent Your Outdoor Decor With One

It's been time consuming, and there have been a lot... Read More

Gardening for Birds Part 2

We've had some well needed rain this past week, though... Read More

How to Grow Chocolate Cosmos

Chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguinea) is both nose and eye candy... Read More

Fall Garden Chores for Spring Flowering Bulbs

As the school busses begin to rumble down the road... Read More

Orange Perennials For Your Garden

Perennials are wonderful because, they bloom year after year. Sometimes,... Read More

Delavays Blueberry (Vaccinium delavayi)

Whether we know it or not, most of us are... Read More

Outdoor Furniture: Exploring the Benefits of Teak

Of the many types of materials that are available for... Read More

Grow Organic Vegetables

There are more reasons than ever why anybody with access... Read More

Patio Swings Spruce Up Your Outdoor Space with Comfort and Style

Are you looking for a way to spruce up your... Read More

Gardening with Bamboo

Myths and facts A misconception about bamboo is that they... Read More

Avoiding Unsightly Algae

Excessive organic matter in the pond provides nutrients for algae,... Read More