CHOCOLATE COSMOS
WEDDING & BRIDAL FLOWERS - CARE GUIDE & HAND TIED BUNCH
“I always think of Cosmos as the most perfect autumnal bridal flower, with the delicacy of movement and shape, and of course their incredible, gentle chocolate fragrance! Within this guide, I share where to source - both locally and via wholesalers - a care guide, and a simple step-by-step to create an elegant hand tie design.”
COSMOS SEASONs & GROWERS
They bloom from early summer through until autumn, and with their rich, dark moody tones, I always think of them more as autumnal blooms in designs, rather than mid summer stems. Chocolate cosmos are tuberous-rooted, tender perennials that are native to Mexico. I tend to source my stems from larger growers who supply direct to the Dutch wholesale market. They can be tricky stems to grow and require constant, mild conditions, bruising easily with adverse weather.
The three larger suppliers I use most regularly are BLOOMFIELDS OF LONDON (based at Covent Garden Flower Market, in London - collection only), HEEMSKERK (Europe wide delivery) and HOEK FLOWERS (International delivery).
For a smaller grower, look to HORTUS POETICUS based in Hampshire (UK). If you know of other local growers who specialise in Chocolate Cosmos each year, please do let us know and I will be delighted to add them here - please send email to kate@philippacraddock.com.
Seeds to grow at home - in the UK, I have grown Chocolate Cosmos from seeds, supplied by CHILTERN SEEDS and SARAH RAVEN, and in the USA, JOHNNY’S SEEDS come highly recommended.
Images from Hortus Poeticus
Image from Chiltern Seeds
COSMOS CUT FLOWER CARE GUIDE
When these stems come in from the grower, they should arrive carefully wrapped in brown paper, to protect them during transit. Cut approximately 2cms of each stem end, and place directly into water. They are relatively fleeting stems and don’t need any time to open (they will already be fully open when you receive them), so buy them in at the last possible moment, to get as much life from them as possible. They don’t like to be overly handled and can bruise very easily. Their stems can also become easily entangled, so handle them with care and love. I tend to use these stems for weddings and events, rather than in general hand tied bunches.
COSMOS HAND TIE
They work beautifully set against directly contrasting tones, amongst a bunch of varied colours and elegantly just simply on their own.
Follow the six visual steps below, to create an elegant, fully domed chocolate cosmos bouquet, with texture and depth. Finish with a delicate, raw silk ribbon - perhaps with the ribbon ends left long - and select a contrasting, natural toned colour.
This 25 second video shows a quick glimpse of the making, the beautiful, delicate movement of the stems and the careful securing the of the garden twine.
1. LAY THE STEMS CAREFULLY DOWN ON A FLAT, CLEAN SURFACE, WITH THE FLOWER HEADS FACING AWAY FROM YOU.
3. PLACE EACH STEM AT A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT HEIGHT, SO TO AVOID OVERLAP & PETAL BRUISING.
2. GENTLY GATHER THE STEMS TOGETHER IN ONE HAND, SELECTING & ADDING EACH NEW STEM WITH YOUR OTHER HAND.
4. TURN THE GATHERED STEMS AS YOU ADD NEW STEMS & CONTINUE ADDING UNTIL YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFULLY FULL & RELATIVELY LOOSE, DOMED SHAPE.
5. ALWAYS BE CAREFUL TO HOLD THE STEMS VERY GENTLY - THEY CAN BRUISE & SNAP EASILY. THEY ARE SO LIGHT, THEY NEED JUST A CAREFUL HOLD.
6. LOOP A LENGTH OF GARDEN TWINE & WRAP IT AROUND THE STEMS AT THE BOUND POINT, GENTLY PULLING SO IT’S JUST TIGHT ENOUGH TO HOLD, WITHOUT “DENTING” THE STEMS.
CLOSE UP DETAIL OF THE COSMOS STEMS.
CLOSE UP DETAIL OF THE COSMOS PETAL.
FINISHED HAND TIED BOUQUET.
