My #1 'must have' flower for eco-printing

​It can be tricky to get successful eco-prints from flowers. You've chosen bright-colored flowers to use, and you're all excited about unwrapping your bundle after 'cooking'. Then you see very little or nothing at all on the paper. I've been there and know that feeling of disappointment : (

This used to happen when I was first learning the eco-printing process. Now after much research and many experiments, I'd like to share with you my #1 'must have' and absolute favorite flower for making eco-prints is Cosmos sulphureus 'Cosmic Orange'.
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This annual flower packs a big punch of happy color in the summer garden. They are super easy to grow and if you don't have space for a garden they also do well in pots. These are heat and sun loving flowers so I wait until the ground has warmed before planting. If the weather has been warm I'll plant them at the end of May but more often than not they get planted in early June. I don't bother starting the seeds indoors as they have always done so well when I plant directly in the garden. 

Cosmos flowers will bloom throughout the summer starting in late July until the first hard frost here in the Southeastern part of Connecticut. I always have more than enough flowers to print from fresh and to dry for later use. They can grow to approximately 3-4 feet tall with 2-inch flowers, love full sun, and attract bees and butterflies.
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​The prints can range in color from pink, orange, to even red, depending on the paper and mordant used. They never disappoint, they make the best and most consistent prints of any flower I've tried.

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​Bonus: The leaves, which have an attractive lobe shape, also print well.

​To keep the bees happy, and so I'll have seeds for next year,
I always leave some of the flowers unpicked.
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Look how pretty these spiky seed heads are.

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