Blue Cosmos: Characteristics and Key Growing Points Explained

Cosmos, also known as autumn cherry, Zhang Daren flower, and autumn sakura, is an annual herbaceous plant, annual or perennial herb. Let us take a closer look at this plant.

Blue cosmos, as the name suggests, is cosmos with blue petals. Its color is bright and lovely. Since cosmos is mostly red, white, pink, and purple, blue is not only vivid but also shows the charm of cosmos even more, and it is quite rare as well. It is often used as background bedding material and spread around groves and along roadsides. Therefore, it is mostly used as turf and other ornamental decoration, and its medicinal value is also remarkable.

Cosmos is an annual herbaceous plant. The plant height is 120 to 150 cm. The stems are slender and upright, and the plant form is free and easy. The leaves are opposite, bipinnately parted, with sparse, linear, entire lobes. The flower heads are single-rowed, with truncate or slightly notched tips. The flower colors range from white and pink to purplish red. The tubular flowers in the center of the disk are yellow. The flowering period is from September to frost.

Cosmos has a tall plant form, elegant leaf shape, and rich flower colors, including pink, white, and deep red. It is suitable for flower borders, and for beautifying and greening in patches at grassland edges, around groves, and along roadsides, with a rather wild charm. Double-petaled varieties can be used as cut flower material. Blue cosmos is suitable as a background material for flower borders, and can also be planted beside fences, among rocks, on cliff slopes, in tree beds, or near houses. Its effect when used as turf is even better. While having ornamental value, it also has medicinal value.

Cosmos, alias: dysentery herb, comes from the Asteraceae plant cosmos, and the whole plant can be used as medicine. Blue cosmos is sweet in flavor and neutral in nature; functions and indications: clearing heat and detoxifying, resolving dampness. Mainly treats acute and chronic dysentery, red and swollen eyes with pain; externally used for sores and swellings. Usage and dosage: 1-2 liang of the whole plant, decocted in water; for external use, take fresh whole plant, add an appropriate amount of brown sugar, pound it into a paste, and apply externally.

When talking about flower language, everyone thinks of wintersweet, roses, peonies, jasmine, and so on. So what about blue cosmos? Do you know? Do not rush, slowly imagine it (cute blue petals, a breeze passing by, revealing a kind of tenacious strength).

Yes! The flower language of blue cosmos is: maidenly purity and strength.

Maidenly purity: a wild beauty full of tension and forever pure happiness, like the purity of a young girl.

Strength: when used as a birthday flower, it is often extended to mean strength and optimism, revealing a kind of force like a cactus.

Whether it is blue cosmos or cosmos of other colors, because they are the same variety, the cultivation method is the same.

① They generally like to grow in moist and sunny places, are resistant to frost, and have no strict requirements for soil.

② They have no strict requirements for fertilizer and water; during the growing period, apply fertilizer once every 10 days.

③ For varieties that easily grow tall, supports need to be set up beforehand to prevent them from being blown down by wind.

④ They grow quickly, so they should be pinched back more to achieve the effect of lush branching.

⑤ In hot weather, red spider mite damage increases, so prevention and control must be carried out in advance.

⑥ To cultivate large cosmos that will not fall over, the following methods should be adopted:

A. Sow in the relatively late July.

B. After spring sowing, when they grow to 40-50 cm, pinch back the tips to let the axillary buds bloom.

C. Set up supports such as short bamboo as early as possible.

In addition to the above issues, when cultivating blue cosmos, everyone must remember to prevent pests and diseases. You cannot leave it unattended, otherwise you will only see an ending like withered flowers and broken willows.

The above is all the content I have summarized for you on what blue cosmos is like. I hope this article can help everyone. Please also continue to follow us.