Cosmos - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Cosmos is a true American native being indigenous to the southwestern United States and Mexico. The name, Cosmos, comes from the Greek word meaning harmony or ordered universe. This is probably a reference to the ordered arrangement of the plant's petals. The plant was grown by Spanish priests in their mission gardens and was carried to Europe where it became known as "peasant's flowers" because of its ability to grow in the poor soils surrounding peasant cottages. In the United States, as early as 1838, the much respected New York seedsman, Grant Thorburn was offering a 6 foot tall, "late Cosmos" in his seed catalogs. In 1799, the plant was introduced into Britain with little success. Cosmos is
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