Happy 2024! Excited to be back in action at the farm and planning and plotting for the season ahead after a longer than expected winter break.

I always do a season recap (which is in my drafts) but today I’m focusing on what has become one of my most reliable crops, the unassuming Cosmos. Cosmos are delightful both in the landscape and as a cut flower crop. Many cut flower growers give up on them — and I am all for assessing what works (and doesn’t) in your own situation. But I want to make a pitch for those of you thinking of dropping Cosmos. The usual reasons I see them not working for growers are keeping up with deadheading, and the need for netting (two very valid reasons!) But planting extra successions and picking reliable varieties are two ways to make them work in your crop plan. Pinch for (many) more stems, and netting is the only reliable way in my field to keep them upright in the event of a big summer storm.

I’ve seen some stunning work with Cosmos as the star of the show in bridal work by Sophie Felts and ahem, JLO featured them en masse at her wedding to Ben…Just saying! There is also a designer named TJ McGrath who designs with them in lovely and creative ways - Check him out on Instagram here!

Cosmos are so elegant and ethereal - They add a lot of movement to arrangements and I especially love how they stop you in your tracks when they are cut at the proper stage (bud cracking) and used in a bouquet — all of a sudden they pop open and surprise you!

I tried Apricotta in 2023 for the first time and they were an insanely unique, lovely color - iridescent pink almost - They were prolific and good sellers. Very hard to photograph but I finally got a good shot at the end of my season!

Rubenza are tried and true, reliable bloomers and popular especially in fall - They will always have a spot in my field!

My most favorite varieties are tied - Afternoon White is amazing with it’s tall straight sturdy stems and reliably perfect white blooms (the Versailles series is comparable). I find they reliably last 6 - 7 days, and if cut at that cracking bud stage as early as Sunday before a Saturday event they will hold perfectly in the cooler, opening slowly over the course of the week. This allows me to move many bunches from a patch of 200 plants during the course of a week, and still have plenty to use for my own bouquet work.

I also love love love the Cupcake series - They are a smidge more unpredictable with weaker stems and variable bloom size, but they are SO incredibly unique and my designers really love them, so I try to always grow them. This year I planted a late fall succession of both Afternoon White and Cupcake, and Cupcake took 2-3 weeks longer to bloom - both were pinched - which was actually great as it extended that last succession and now I know.

Do you have a favorite variety you think I should know about? Or, have you seen them in use either in the garden or in design work somewhere we should know about? Please share — I’d love to hear from you!