Spotlight on the cosmos

I really have to do an entire row of just cosmos flowers next year. These rangy, prolific pops of color show up all over the garden. Some of them have been deliberately planted, and some self-sow in their own place and time. Cosmos are typically several feet tall, and their flowers are rather delicate and scattered, almost “floating” throughout their tall, fern-y leaves. I’m glad I got out and photographed the cosmos, as many have already finished their summer show.

I REALLY love the orange ones. They are planted under the sunflowers and really stand out!

Hello, Madam Bee!

This is a really unusual cosmos plant that popped up, because it is only about a foot and a half tall, much shorter than the others. Not exactly sure which seeds produced it!

And a few more random flowers that caught my eye:

This is a safflower plant, with these cool, spiky red and orange blossoms. Montana grows them to use in dying yarn and fabric.

This is a pretty purple aster, which is only notable to me because I grew all of the asters from seed in the greenhouse. I THINK they are perennial up here, so I will move them into the perennial bed (once it cools down enough that I can pull the potatoes that are currently occupying it.)