Chocolate Cosmos

Lots of gardeners know cosmos. Dainty, open faced flowers that rise up amongst feathery foliage and wave their heads in the breeze. They are often good self-seeders, and will continue to re-appear every year. There are two species commonly grown by gardeners - Cosmos bipinnatus, which is usually in shades of pink and white and has much much finer leaves; and C. sulphureus, which has yellow and orange flowers and are slightly more substantial plants.

Cosmos sulphureus

But have you also seen C. atrosanguineus, or chocolate cosmos? Unlike the previous two I just mentioned which are annuals and will germinate, grow, flower and seed within a year, chocolate cosmos is a perennial and if grown in a warm climate can last multiple years. It bears the same open faced flowers but in a rich mahogany colour, and the petals look almost velvety. The foliage is quite low growing, so the flower heads can really dance on their own, and the best part is that they smell like chocolate! The name atrosanguineus is derived from the Latin words for dark (atro) and blood-red, but I like to think the colour is more along the lines of red velvet chocolate cake. Much less gory.

Sadly, most chocolate cosmos plants are sterile and will never set seed (they have to be propagated vegetatively) but in recent years there have been some new varieties developed which do set seed, so keep your eyes peeled.

Chocolate cosmos loves a warm sunny spot (in cooler places it might not make it through winter) and prefers rich, slightly moist soil. Just make sure it’s somewhere you can get your nose right down to it to enjoy the scent.