近距离内射合集

Q: I can remember, at my grandma鈥檚 house, she grew these cheery flowers that bloomed all summer long, even in the heat, until the first frost. They were planted in a bed that was 3 feet wide and ran along the porch. The flowers remind me of daisies, five-petaled flowers, but they were mostly pink- and red-purple-colored flowers, not the bright white color that I think of when I think of daisies. Gran is gone now, and so is the house, and Dad doesn鈥檛 know what the flowers were. He remembers them for sure, but can鈥檛 remember what they were called. I remember the plant part as being sort of wispy and the blooms lasted several days, and like I said, they bloomed all summer long! Do you maybe know what the flowers Gran had are called? I have a place in my yard now that I think they鈥檇 do great in. 鈥� M.G., Albuquerque

A: I鈥檝e never grown them, but I think the plants you are describing are cosmos.

A couple of doors down, a family planted some for the kids to grow, and they seem to have done really well without a whole lot of care. It鈥檚 the wispy part of your description that has me convinced that that鈥檚 the plant you are so fondly remembering.

The cosmos I get to watch are a sort of pale green tall stalk with feathery leaves borne along the trunk, so to speak. The flowers are bright pink and darker magenta-pink colors, although there are some white flowers.

Each flower is at least 3 inches across with a bright yellow button center. Definitely daisy looking. There always seems to be quite a few butterflies flitting around them and I鈥檝e even seen a hummingbird or two poking about. So they are a good source of food for a bevy of wildlife.

I do remember that they can grow tall. These ones seem to be headed that way. The stand I see is easily three feet tall and growing.

From what I鈥檝e learned, the cosmos is an annual. That means you鈥檒l need to replant every year, but I鈥檓 thinking they are fairly reliable as a self-sower, meaning they鈥檒l drop a lot of seed and show up on their own next year.

The variety C. bipinnatus, considered the old-fashioned cosmos, is the one you鈥檙e searching for if you want the tall ones that Gran had. The colors listed for this gem can be crimson, pink, rose, purple and lavender. So you get lots of color when they start to bloom.

I do wonder since they seem to be a favorite of butterflies if there will be caterpillars as the season advances, but that didn鈥檛 seem worth mentioning in any of the guides I read.

Planting seemed so easy too. It鈥檚 recommended to plant in spots where the cosmos will get at least 6 hours of sun a day, and the soil should be well-draining. No boggy, soggy soil for them. Planting by seed, which seems to be most recommended, you rough up the soil, raking out any large rocks or twigs.

Then smooth the surface and, using a gentle spray, dampen the soil. Mix the cosmos seed with some sand and either hand broadcast it or, if you鈥檙e planning on a bigger area, use a seed spreader. The sand is used so you can see where you鈥檝e sprinkled the seed. Once the seed is spread, again offer a gentle spraying to just dampen.

Next, walk over the area so you are compressing the sand/seed into contact with the soil. Don鈥檛 bury it! Offer that gentle spray of water every other day until they sprout. They sound so easy to grow.

Remember they are annual plants that鈥檒l need replanting every year unless they are successful in the self-sowing department, so be sure you want them before you spread a lot of them.

I truly believe the plants Gran had growing are cosmos and I鈥檓 confident that because of their ease of growth, you鈥檒l be happy with them.

Happy Diggin鈥� In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Diggin鈥� In, 近距离内射合集, 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.