The Cosmos is an incredibly popular flower that is super easy to grow yourself. You can also plant it just about anywhere you like! These beautiful blooms are easy to spot and come in a wide array of dazzling colors and varieties.
These simple to grow flowers have a complex meaning behind them! These delicate blooms have meanings all across the world where they grow in a variety of climates.
First discovered in the 1700s, people named the beautiful cosmos flower after the Greek word for World Order. It represents the order of the universe of their symmetrical petals and starry-like appearance. members of the Astor family along with sunflowers, daisies, and asters.
The cosmos flower is a fantastic addition to any garden as it’s so easy to grow and it’s beautiful and any bouquet because of its colorful appearance.
If you’re looking to find out more about the cosmos’ meanings and their rich symbolism across the world, read on and you can find out everything you need to know about the history of this beautiful flower, its origins, and the significance that holds across cultures around the world today.
The common meaning of cosmos flowers is order and harmony. This is due to their beautiful orderly arrangement of flower petals and the amazing color selection that they come in. The meaning of cosmos flowers can change from color to color as with other flowers.
Cosmos flowers also symbolize balance and peace, love, joy, innocence, and naive beauty. The cosmos flower could also be a symbol of modesty for some as they are beautiful but not overly extravagant.
Due to the cosmos’ petal structure, much like daisies, many have used it for picking off the petals to represent ‘love me not’ for young love. Whilst, simultaneously representing peace and wholeness.
Because cosmos flowers can also survive even the harshest of soil conditions, they can also represent survival and flourishing through bad seasons of life. They also bring us life as they attract many birds by using butterflies when they are in bloom during the summer months.
Etymological Meaning Of The Cosmos Flower
The word cosmos originally comes from the Greek word cosmos which translates to ‘world order.’ The Greeks believed that nature within a universal harmony with oneself. The shape of the Cosmos flower petals reflects such belief.
The cosmos flower represents the Serenity and unique natural perfection of the Universe and nature.
There are many different types of cosmos flowers across the globe. While still being part of the same genus, they are all slightly different. The common names for the cosmos flowers are soccer moms. Also, pom-poms, and spider daisies as well as the basket flower as all of their petals have a structural basket.
The cosmos’ beauty mesmerized the priests in the high lands of Spain. They gave it its unique name highlighting the serenity of the universe within this one specific and enchanting flower.
A cousin of both the sunflower and the daisy, the cosmos has a well-ordered display of petals and can produce a variety of different fragrances depending on the breed.
The cosmos flower has different meanings throughout various cultures. Originally discovered as a native growing plant in the Mexican Highlands and scrubs, with their reach spreading as far north as Washington state and as far south as deep into southern America.
After Spanish explorers brought back the cosmos flower from Mexico during the 16th century they grew to be very popular within the whole of Europe making their way to the British Isles around the late 18th century when the Victorian floral culture was at its height.
The cosmos flower has been popular ever since in Britain and across gardens throughout the US. During the Second Boer War, people brought cosmos flower over to South Africa where it has since been growing wild.
With such a far reach, the cosmos flower has different symbolic meanings throughout these areas.
For example, in Mexico how many flowers are related to specific deities and spirit guides. Flowers play a prominent part in many Mexican cultural traditions.
The chocolate cosmos for example is a deep red and chocolate brown color that has an amazing cocoa-like fragrance. People prized these flowers in Mexico and represent order harmony and uniqueness.
The general symbolism of the cosmos flower is that of balance, quality, modesty, simple beauty, and innocent joy.
Because of the wildness of the cosmos and their beautiful colors, they represent triumph over adversity and natural order and beauty.
Cosmos Flower Color Meanings
Like many other flowers, the meaning of the cosmos can change depending on what color they are. It’s a good idea to find out what colors certain cosmos mean so that you know that your statement to someone you gift them to is exactly what you’re intending it to be!
Red cosmos- love, and passion as is common with most red-colored flowers
Pink cosmos- pink cosmos is one of the more common varieties and represents innocent love, femininity, familial and friendship love as well as being a symbol of motherly and grandmotherly love.
Yellow cosmos- the yellow cosmos is often a representation of friendship. It is also a great flower to give to male partners and male friends.
Be aware however that the yellow cosmos can also represent slighted or unrequited love so bear this in mind if the person you’re giving flowers to is keen on floriography and flower meanings as they might take this the wrong way!
White cosmos- white cosmos represent faithfulness, romantic attachment, and devotion. The white cosmos can symbolize religious love and innocence. Like many white flowers, the white cosmos also have associations with purity, virginity, and the Virgin Mary.
Brown cosmos- brown cosmos or chocolate cosmos are unique flowers and they have a rich brown color and a powerful chocolate scent.
They represent individuality, uniqueness, and love as do all things chocolatey! If you can find brown cosmos they make a wonderful gift that celebrates the person who is receiving them. They are also a great gift for those who appreciate more masculine flowers.
Meaningful Botanical Characteristics Of The Cosmos Flower
Tall flowers- the cosmos flower can grow up to 6 feet tall! This makes them perfect flowers for wild fields or meadows.
Fragrant flowers- cosmos are lightly fragranced and pleasantly light.
Many colors- cosmos flowers come in an array of many different colors, the most common varieties are pinks and purples.
Chocolate cosmos- there is a special type of beautiful brown cosmos that smells just like chocolate! These glorious flowers have a deep brown color with a crimson red center. Don’t eat them despite their appealing smell!
Petals- the petals in a cosmos are evenly distributed giving them a full and orderly appearance- hence the meaning of their name ‘cosmos’ representing world order.
Best time to grow cosmos flowers- you can plant cosmos seeds in September, before snowfall, for them to bloom in the early spring.
7 weeks to bloom- cosmos take 7 weeks to go from seeds to beautiful blooming flowers, so require more patience and planning.
Bloom twice a tear- the cosmos blooms once a season, or twice a year, making them great for adding a pop in your garden at multiple points of the year!
Grows amazingly indoors and outdoors- this bloom is incredibly flexible and versatile about where you grow it, unlike many other flowers, thriving both indoors and outdoors.
The best soil to grow cosmos- cosmos are pretty forgiving but prefer damp yet well-drained soil. As with many other plants, lack of drainage can lead to diseases in your plants, which can spread very quickly if not taken care of.
Don’t handle frost well- most types of cosmos won’t be able to withstand frost, so try to move them indoors if you can, or you will have to regrow them for another season.
Requires dead heading- cut off any dead flowers to maximize your blooms and to enhance growth.
Low-maintenance- if you find you don’t have the greenest of fingers, you may get on well with cosmos flowers as they are relatively low maintenance! Cosmos don’t require any particular special soil or fertilizer and can survive well without daily watering.
Special Occasions For The Cosmos Flowers
These beautiful wildflowers are a wonderful colorful addition to a wedding bouquet, especially if paired with other natural-looking, ‘ungroomed’ flowers such as daisies and asters.
If you are planning to have a natural wedding flower display that looks freshly plucked from the ground rather than manicured, cosmos are a perfect choice.
Cosmos also associated with second wedding anniversaries. This is connected to the idea that the coming year will be just as beautiful and exciting as the previous!
Perfect as everyday flowers- the cosmos flowers represent easy-going nature and as they are a low maintenance bloom, they are perfect to have displayed in your home every day
The rick brown chocolate cosmos is also the perfect addition to a more masculine display of flowers and is perfect as part of a special occasion for a special more masculine person in your life. They are the perfect descriptor of masculine beauty and strength, whilst still being soft and attractive.
October blooms- the cosmos often associated with birthdays and celebrations in October, making them an excellent gift for someone who has a big day that month.
Generally, the cosmos flower represents love and gentle innocence.
As a flower that is natively grown in Mexico, they can often be used in conjunction with other flowers as part of cultural celebrations such as Dia de Los Muertos, Cinco de Mayo, and many other Mexican traditional occasions.
Cosmos also has cultural significance in Korea. In South Korea and other far eastern cultures, there is a lot of emphasis on floriography- that is the meaning behind different flowers given to friends, family, or lovers. Cosmos flowers often are used to symbolize true love.
We can see this in many interpretations and are often used in K-dramas as a symbol of true love, or as a gift used by friends who want something more to come of their friendship.
The natural growing range of cosmos is now across the globe and the cosmos flower is often cultivated and grown in British gardens. They give a significant air of whimsy and natural beauty to country gardens and cottage scenes.
The cosmos is the perfect flower to grow if you want to cultivate this mysterious yet innocent appeal in a garden.
These wild and natural-looking flowers are also said to be mythical homes for fairies and can attract them, making them a popular feature in curated fairy gardens and groves.
Cosmos Flower Facts
Safe for both humans and animals
The colorful cosmos bloom is perfect for pollinators such as bees and butterflies, along with many other garden bugs and wildlife.
Cut cosmos blooms will last for around 5 days, making them a great choice for colorful displays indoors.
Symbolize joy, abundance, and love in many cultures.
Come in a wide range of colors.
Cosmos Flower Uses
Cosmos flowers are used a lot in herbalism and contain properties that make them incredibly useful to botanical-based medicine.
Further, cosmos flowers contain high levels of butein (a tetrahydroxychalcone) and quercetin naturally. This means they are used to improve one’s circulation, treat skin problems, have a strengthening effect on bones, and help fight infections.
Some benefits of cosmos flowers-
Anti-bacterial
Antidiabetic
Antiviral
Anti-inflammatory
The leaves and stems of cosmos flowers can also be eaten, and are a component in a medicinal dish called ‘kings salad’, eaten for its herbalism health benefits.
A cosmos flower tattoo can mean many different things to the wearer, but here is a round-up of some of the most popular meanings and ideas associated with the flower.
Due to their tolerance of droughts, they can symbolize longevity and hardiness.
They can symbolize fairies, mythical creatures, and wild nature.
The cosmos flower can also symbolize cherished friendships and true love. They can also be used as memorial flowers, especially to symbolize a mother or female friendship.
They are also used as a symbol of spiritual chakras and releasing a spiritual blockage, to fully understand the universe and the natural world.
As the name suggests, they are also a symbol of world order and perfect unity within nature.
Final Thoughts
The cosmos flower is universally a positive flower to give as a gift and grows naturally across the globe. You can make these flowers part of a wonderful natural-looking wedding bouquet or add them into any fairy-friendly cottage garden to add a lovely pop of color.
We hope you’ve learned more about these gorgeous, hardy flowers that are easy to grow and even easier to love!
Hi, my name is Gloria White, and I’ve always been interested in spirituality, and how crystals, numerology, and symbols can have a direct impact on our lives.
It’s a big passion of mine, and one I have always wanted to share with others, to provide them with a better understanding of the topic.
A lot of people are unsure of the significance of chakras, and crystals, and how influential they can be in our lives. Even dreams and numbers we assume are irrelevant often have a deeper meaning, and are significant.
I hope to provide readers with a better understanding of spirituality as a whole. From the significance of animals appearing in dreams to the seven major chakras, I will be covering everything you need to know.
