Cosmos

Q. Where does one find a chocolate cosmos flower? I'd like to buy and cannot find a nursery to buy bulbs.

A. Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus) is a tuberous perennial which is hardy in USDA zones 7-10. You need to buy tubers from a company or small plants in the spring at your local nursery if you can find them available not an easy task. They do not grow from bulbs.

Place plants in a sunny well-drained part of the garden (roots rot in soggy soil) and in late summer you'll have dark red flowers atop stems extending well above the foliage. They make good cut flowers. With first frosts foliage dies to the ground leaving only the plant's tuberous roots. To keep track of where the tubers are in winter and to avoid accidentally cutting into them mark the base of each plant when you set it out. Divide roots after a few years. Carefully dig and cut them in half leaving at least one eye on each tuber. Though chocolate cosmos is native to Mexico it can handle all but the coldest western climate zones. Last year plants survived 10 [degrees] in the Northwest with no problems. To be safe mulch before hard freezes come. Convincing chocolate fragrance distinguishes perennial cosmos. Flowers rise well above plant's foliage. Mahogany red daisies are 1 1/2" wide one to a stem. They hold up very well as cut flowers.