Crazy for Cosmo's

Cosmo's always  have a place in my garden. When I remember the first spring in our first house cosmos grew in the back corner. I didn't plant them there, never watered there. Basically it was the side of an unmarked driveway, dry, dusty  hard ground. I didn't know anything about growing in California at all, yet they were growing, and they were beautiful. The back neighbor grew cosmos in her yard, and I benefited. One day I Saw her working in her yard, and asked what kind of flowers they were. Like most gardeners she told me, and shared some knowledge, and was glad I was enjoying the volunteer cosmos. I felt pretty and tough was a great flower to grow, and have grown them ever since.
Over the years they have become a background flower. As I grew roses, and well way to many flowers to mention The cosmos were the plan Jane of the garden. I still grew them, but more out of habit, rather than a flower I loved.
This year (2026) I grew a few new varieties. They have reminded me why I love cosmos. They are delicate, different colors, and kind of whimsical. They are my favorite flowers this year, and I'm so glad I kept growing them. The new varieties I'm loving is apricotta, and the cup and saucer kind.

A fun little tidbit about cosmos that I learned this year.

Compost Cosmos

I have a very small rock-lined raised bed by the side of my house that I grew cosmos in this year. Somehow, someway a seed germinated between some rocks and grew horizontally across the nearby driveway. This soon became a trip hazard as the plant had grown a main stem nearly three quarters of an inch thick. My wife uprooted this plant and just tossed it on the top of a cold compost pile thinking it would shrivel up and die. To out surprise, the thing rereooted and somehow survived a heat wave!

Cosmos are pretty AND resilient plants.

Cosmos are brilliant for this, just let them go to seed at the end of the year and they sort themselves out. Mine come back in different spots every time, usually places I'd never have thought to plant them.

I find out they like calcareous soil. In my place, they are hard to grow and won't resend. One year, I gave a plant lots of compost made from local plant materials, it grew huge and branched out excessively. Then it produced one flower and got killed by frost the next day.

It's a bummer you struggle with cosmos May. Your example is why I try when posting to not say things like it's so easy, or anyone can grow it. Comments like these that are meant to be encouraging can often make gardeners, especially inexperienced ones feel bad, and think they aren't doing things right, but it's not them at all but the environment, weather, soil, or many other factors that often can't be controlled. Sometimes if you keep experimenting, and don't give up you find a way. Sometimes the answer is this isn't the plant for me.
Thanks for sharing your struggles, that's also a relief for people to hear that even a phenomenal! gardener like you struggles now and then. To be honest I don't love the war with certain bugs, or failing to grow something I want to grow, but the challenges, the endless ability to learn something new, add spice to the tranquility and joy I find in my garden.
Thanks everyone for posting, happy gardening

this is a better picture of the cup cosmos.

Still blooming