Caring for Your Cosmos Over the Winter

Cosmos are wonderful, beautiful and fairly easy to take care of. This warm weather annual is naturally found in Mexico and South America where it has plenty of sunshine. That said, these flowers need special care during the winter months.

“Cosmos” comes from the Greek word meaning “harmony”, which describes this plant quite well. The easiest way to deal with cosmos in winter is to not have them in winter. As these plants are annual, the best time to plant them is right after winter, as soon as the weather starts warming up a bit and they won’t freeze but get plenty of sunshine.

If you live in a place with warmer winters your cosmos would be perfectly fine growing through the winter months. If you do have Cosmos that won’t finish their yearly life cycle by winter, it’s best to bring them indoors if there is a good place for them with lots of sunshine; either real or artificial.

If you can’t transplant indoors, you can cover the tuberous roots with mulch, which will help keep them warm. Deadheading your cosmos and leaving them outdoors will give them a better chance of reseeding themselves and coming back for another season or two once the frost is over.

Hopefully now you’re ready for the winter and you and your Cosmos will make it through another year.