Cosmos bipinnatus

Some plants just seem to give you “the finger”… When I think about how I coddled and cuddled my little cosmos seedlings last spring and summer, padding them with mulch, hovering over them with the watering can – and still the tiny little spindly things just wanted to die throughout the summer before finally putting out a small handful of flowers last fall.

But apparently one of those sensitive souls managed to reseed itself and grew into a small tree with a thick trunk and masses of flowers starting in September – without any watering at all. Unless it’s maybe profiting from the occasional deep waterings for the Cercis tree nearby.

I never thought I’d label cosmos bipinnatus as a good plant for Mediterranean gardens but apparently it is a native plant in Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica and has naturalized itself in many areas of the world. And anyway: if a plant wants to grow in your garden, it will.