Limit Weed Growth Under Spring Favorite Cosmos With A Whimsical Ground Cover

There's a good reason why cosmos are a spring favorite with many gardeners. Who could resist those pretty, cheerful blooms gently nodding in the breeze as they turn their faces up to the warming sunshine. There are so many varieties to choose from in floral colors of pink, orange, yellow, red, white, and purple, and cosmos flower seeds are quick and easy to grow for beginner gardeners. But, as these flowers have an erect growth habit and can reach heights of up to 6 feet, you may have a little trouble controlling the weeds that might crop up between the plants. So, why not let nature give you a helping hand by inserting a whimsical ground cover between your cosmos plants to limit that annoying weed growth. Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) makes an excellent ground cover and those daisy-like blooms with their drooping white petals and erect yellow centers will add some playfulness to your flower garden.

Incorporating this type of companion planting into your landscape allows you to create a thriving garden that's full of color as well as one that doesn't ask you for continuous efforts to keep it looking fantastic. This is perfect if you simply love flowers, but don't have a lot of time to keep pesky weeds at bay or tend to high-maintenance plants.

As far as companion plants are concerned, chamomile and cosmos make a fantastic match. While the cosmos will reach up to the sky, the chamomile is happy to stay quite diminutive, only growing about 1 foot tall, and fill in the spaces closer to the surface of the soil. Chamomile also has a spreading habit, so it will happily fill in those empty voids between your cosmos flowers. On top of that, both plants will attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies, so if you dream of having a thriving flower garden buzzing with life, this is one of the best combinations you can plant. Plus, they'll also attract beneficial insects, which will take your natural pest control methods to even greater heights, as well as being one of the many benefits of planting cosmos in your edible garden.

By planting shorter plants like chamomile alongside taller growing varieties like cosmos, you'll ensure that the soil is completely covered once the plants have grown and you're unlikely to spot a single weed among all that glorious growth. By effectively shading the soil, the weed seeds that might be present simply won't get the sunlight they need to germinate and grow. 

Unlike cosmos, Roman chamomile is a perennial and grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 9. It's a sweet-smelling garden herb that helps naturally repel wasps, thanks to the scent emitted by the essential oils contained in the plant. On the other hand, cosmos is a hardy annual and will grow from seed in the spring in zones 2 through 11. But, this also creates a benefit for time-constrained gardeners because the cosmos will readily self-seed in the garden.

What this means is once you have your spring flower bed sown with both cosmos and Roman chamomile seeds, essentially all the hard work is done and you can look forward to a blooming paradise every year that's going to be absolutely teeming with pollinators. Both plants are drought-tolerant and perfectly suited to meadow gardens and naturalized areas. There's even a small trick you can use to encourage your cosmos to both reseed and rebloom. Once the seed heads have formed after the first bloom in spring, cut the plants back to a height of 12 to 18 inches and ensure that the seeds drop down to the soil. If you do this, in a month's time, you'll have another flush of those gorgeous flowers. Plus, the seeds will germinate in the warm soil and increase the number of plants.