Saturday, September 10, 2011

Mexican Aster


Mexican Aster
Cosmos bipinnatus
(KOS-mus) (by-pin-NAY-tus)

This flower was growing in the cutting garden and the light seemed right yesterday. Cosmos is a great annual that is easy to grow. The only problem I have with it is that it gets too tall and needs to be staked or cut back. There are some shorter strains available now and I would recommend them for ease of cultivation. Here is a link to a post on this blog with a little more information on Cosmos.

The cutting garden is doing 100% better this year since we changed the soil in the spring. More flowers and less sickness amongst the plants. There is an area in the front of the house that we plant Impatiens every year and I have begun to notice a lack of vigor with the plants. So after the mums are done this year we will change that soil too. When the cutting garden was redone we put a couple of layers of fertilizer in as the soil was replaced and that has worked out nicely. It was a bit of a job to change the soil but totally worth it.

Today is our granddaughter’s first soccer game so I will be out there trying some sports photography. That is one of the hardest genres of photography for me but I am looking forward to the challenge. With the new (this year) 80-200mm/2.8 lens it should be a little easier.

I want to second to thank all the people that followers and subscribe to this blog. It’s nice to know there are people out there that like what is posted here.

2 comments:

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Don't think I ever heard Cosmos called Mexican Aster. Funny.
I like your bloom photos...and the info that follows.

DeniseinVA said...

Gorgeous photo, love the lighting and I love this beautiful flower.