Is there such a thing as too many pictures of Cosmos? Perhaps not if they come on the tail of a post about mass plantings.

This long fenceful planted end to end with the hardy annual Cosmos bipinnatus makes me happy every time I walk past. Has 2009 been a particularly good year for cosmos? It seems to be thriving everywhere.

C. bipinnatus comes in different varieties, including picotee (bicolour) and ones with quill-shaped petals. I’ve tried growing these at various times in my gardening career, and find them to be fussier than the not-so-plain old common garden variety shown here.

I’m also fond of the golden-to-orange blooms of another annual C. sulphureus and the blood-red, perennial C. atrosanginineus [oops, that should read: C. atrosanguineus] or chocolate cosmos, the purported chocolate smell of which my usually sensitive schnozz has never been able to detect. Doesn’t matter, as the flower is pretty enough by itself.

Sorry to be such a one-note player with this little flower, but for our sandy soil, as long as there’s sun, this little winner is always worth remembering.