Monday, October 06, 2008

Across the cosmos

Here's what happens when you let your cosmos do whatever they want.
What they want is to take over the universe (hence their name), starting with your yard. This batch is easily eight feet tall and thinks it can cut off all escape by blocking the path between the house and the lilacs to the left.

"What path? I don't see any path," you say. Exactly.

Certainly the bees approve:
Happily, the plants are easy to uproot, so I was able to clear out a bunch. Next year I'll be more careful about thinning the seedlings that come up. I know there will be a lot. I resisted this year because "aw, they're so pretty," but we know where that leads.

10 comments:

  1. wow - that bee photo is award winning...what a great shot

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  2. Mine have done as yours have and I left them for the same reason as you did but they got their comeuppance in our first rain of the year - so shallowly rooted that the tallest one toppled of it's own (wet) weight. I have pink, dark pink, white and orangey-yellow and I love them all!

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  3. Perfect timing! Today I took a quick, unplanned shot of this very plant in a yard on my street. I was going to post the picture and ask what the flower was so I can plant some next year. Cosmos! I knew that.

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  4. If I lived nearby, I would have come and tenderly uprooted them and taken them home. Next to sunflowers, they are my favorite. I'd let them take over my lawn if they wanted to, but I understand that everyone may not have my enthusiasm for them.

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  5. When I let the cosmos do anything they want, they stick their little tongues out at me and die. I must be the only person in Colorado for whom cosmos refuse to live. Sigh.

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  6. I love that Cosmos do that! I'm trying the yellow ones next year (going with a yellow theme in the yard next Spring).

    http://kitt.hodsden.org/gallery2/v/flowers/flowers_aug05/DSC05742.JPG.html

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  7. Thanks, db!

    Peggy, I like them, too, but I really needed to use the path while I was doing yard cleanup. Plus I didn't mention that there are some dahlias being smothered under them.

    Zoomie, yes, some of them were leaning rather perilously!

    Glad I could help, Pam!

    Betts, they don't take to transplanting, unfortunately, but do they grow from seed like crazy. I like sunflowers, too, but didn't plant any this year.

    Aw, Claire, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe they need more water?

    Hi Kitt! Yours look like mine! I'd be freaking out if your house were the same color.

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  8. The horrible dirt at my place isn't good for anything! I've grown cosmos from seed once, but they wouldn't take again.

    *sighs*

    I need to move.

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  9. If I remembered to water my plants on a regular basis maybe mine would grow lol.

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