Rare is the floral designer who is not smitten with cosmos. Cheerful faces dancing on slender stems, cosmos add movement, romance, and a touch of cottage garden whimsy to any design. Such is the love of PFG customers for cosmos that we sell out every week!
While many of you may associate cosmos with summer, they’re actually most prolific in the autumn! Time to get a little plant nerdy: cosmos are what are called a “qualitative short day plant”. They bloom most abundantly and happily when there are less than 14 hours of daylight, but they may bloom sporadically when the days are longer (like in summer time). Good news! We have recently entered the “less than 14 hours of daylight” time of the year so cosmos should be more plentiful. Woohoo!!
Cosmos are native to Mexico, which is also the homeland of dahlias and chrysanthemums. There must be something special in that Mexican soil and water! Wild cosmos were first cultivated by Spanish missionaries, who took seeds to Spain in the 16th century. In the late 1700s, an English woman snagged some seeds and they soon became synonymous with the quintessential English cottage garden. Because of their symmetrical petals, cosmos symbolize balance, harmony and order. Maybe that’s why we all love them so much. Who doesn’t want a little more harmony and balance in their life??
When you order cosmos from PFG, they often come to you in the bud stage. Cosmos must be picked before they fully unfurl because bees are very quick to pollinate them, which dramatically shortens their vase life. Cosmos picked in bud will open up beautifully in the vase in just a few hours when in a warm environment. So don’t fret when you put that barely open bud in a bridal bouquet. It’ll bloom wide and be a rockstar before the first look photos are snapped!
Cosmos, even when picked in the bud stage, are not known for their longevity. They typically last in an arrangement for about 5-6 days. They are particularly prone to having their stems clogged with bacteria, leading to wilt. To get the maximum vase life out of cosmos, instruct your customers to change the water regularly in the vase and to give stems a fresh trim every day or so.
To hold cosmos in the cooler, store at 36-38F. Use a CVBN tablet in the bucket water to ensure bacteria does not build up and clog those stems. If using for retail, don’t store cosmos for more than 3 days. If using for event work, you can likely store them for about a week as long as you’re sure to keep them in that 36-38F range and use the CVBN tablet.
Cosmos are one of two birth flowers for the month of October (marigolds being the other). Consider adding them to October birthday deliveries with a special note explaining that they are the month’s birth flower, their history, and that they are locally-grown! Customers love little educational tidbits like that. After all, when we can see all the unique threads surrounding a bloom, it makes us feel more connected to the universe/cosmos.