Brides hoping to capture the look of a summer garden in full bloom would succeed with a choice of cosmos.
This inexpensive to moderately priced daisylike flower grows in shades of pink and magenta on long stems with feathery foliage. A strinking chocolate color is also available and can be used to create rich late summer arrangements.
Among horticulturists, cosmos are what’s known as a “tough love” plant. When given too much care, they tend to get spindly and stingy with their blossoms. Subjected to brutal heat, low soil fertility, and drought conditions, however, and the plant gushes forth with multiple, glorious blooms.
This ability to make the most of the worst soil conditions has made cosmos an extremely popular garden variety. The flower ranges from close-to-the-ground specimens to varieties that can stretch up to four feet tall.
Spanish missionaries first discovered the symmetrical delights of these flowers in Mexico. They named them cosmos, a word derived from the Greek word for a universe that is ordered and harmonious, a reference to the flower’s simple arrangement of evenly spaced petals.
