Cosmos: delicate, dancing and one of my favourite flowers to use in bridal bouquets and table arrangements.
Despite their flowering season starting in late June, these beautiful daisy-like blooms are October’s flower of the month, but beware like many British florwers they are only available until the first frosts in Autumn. So, let’s find out more about their name, meaning and symbolism.
COSMOS ETYMOLOGY
The word kosmos means “order,” “arrangement,” or “adornment” in the Greek language. Although, in the 7th century BCE Pythagoras, a philosopher better known or associated with mathematics today, expanded the meaning of term when he used it to describe the universe. Pythagoras, along with his contemporaries, believed that the universe was divinely created and organised, and therefore was the embodiment of harmony and order.
But how does Pythagoras link to the cosmos flower? Well, in the 17th century when Spanish explorers were in what we now know as Mexico, they saw a daisy-like native flower with evenly spaced petals and it was this orderly, harmonious nature of the petals that inspired the Spanish to name them cosmos. Some explorers took specimens of the plant back to Spain to grow at home, while Spanish priests who remained in the New World grew cosmos in their mission gardens as they attempted to bring Christianity to the local people.
COLOURS & SYMBOLISM
Cosmos are available in a variety of colours: white, pink, red, yellow and orange, while the atrosanguineus variety are a gorgeous burgundy, dark red known as chocolate cosmos because of their sweet, chocolate scent.
A red or burgundy cosmos represents deep love and passion; pink means a mother’s love or romantic love; yellow symbolizes friendship; white is a sign of faithfulness, devotion purity and peace.
During the Victorian period, when floriography or the language of flowers was used to convey messages and emotions, cosmos were used to communicate joy in love and life and a sincere declaration of love.
Historically, in Mexico and other areas of Latin America, the cosmos flower is linked to spirituality, with people seeing it as a sacred bridge between earth and the divine. During festivals, such as the Day of the Dead, cosmos flowers play a significant role as they are used as an offering to departed souls, a gentle invitation for spirits to visit the realm of the living and partake in the festivities. Their bright colours are believed to light up the paths, guiding spirits back to their loved ones.
So, there we have the low down on the cosmos – the flower of order, harmony, and balance. It’s the perfect flower of the month for October, which in astrology is linked to Libra – the scales – the star sign of balance, fairness and equilibrium.
