Sensation Mix Cosmos
A garden classic! Cosmos grow quickly and easily from seed producing airy, daisy-like flowers in a range of pink jewel tones on attractive, delicate foliage. AAS Winner. Heirloom.
JOY MAX QUALITIES:
The 1936 All-America Selections winner, "Sensation Mix" Cosmos are well-regarded as an easy-to-grow addition to any garden. They tolerate poor soil and hot, humid conditions.
Cosmos are a superb choice for wildflower or naturalized areas, as they are drought tolerant and need very little attention. An excellent butterfly lure and cut flower.
The mix will produce 3"–4" wide flowers in white, pink, rose, and crimson with yellow centers. One of the most productive flowers you can grow, the more you cut, the more they bloom. A must have for every cutting garden.
Cosmos are incredibly easy to grow, making them perfect for beginning gardeners.
Open-pollinated
Don't plant these in your vegetable beds. Rich soil will cause the stems to grow thick but not produce flowers.
Planting Information: Direct sow outside once all danger of frost has passed. Surface sow & keep soil moist until germination. When 1" – 2" tall, thin to 12" apart. Use netting to keep from flopping over as they can grow over 4' tall.
Cosmos bipinnatus GROW ZONES: 2-11 PLANT HEIGHT: 3'-6' PLANT SPACING: 12-15” SEED SPACING: scatter SEED DEPTH: Barely cover IDEAL TEMP: 70-75° GERMINATION: 5-10 days at 70-75°F (21-24°C). DAYS TO MATURITY: 67 SOIL: Not especially good to quite poor, but well-drained is a must LIGHT: Full Sun / Part shade
Keep seeds moist until germination, and seedlings and young plants moist but not wet until established, but then water only when it looks thirsty. Protect from slugs and snails at this stage as seedlings are quite tender.
While cosmos will grow and bloom in part shade, they won't achieve their full potential unless they are in full sun.
“Pinch” to increase branching (the number of stems and flowers produced). When plants are between 8-12” tall, use your thumb and index finger or sterilized scissors to remove the growing point.
They will need some support to protect from the wind. The easiest way to do this is to set up some netting above the seedlings so they can grow up through it as they get taller.
Do not fertilize. It will cause the same issues as planting them in too rich soil.
To prolong their flowering time, keep cosmos harvested regularly, and deadhead any spent flowers before they set seed. The individual blooms of cosmos don’’t last a particularly long time in the vase, about 4 to 6 days, but each stem is loaded with multiple blossoms that open individually over a period of a week.
Harvest when the buds are colored but haven’t opened up yet; this will keep insects from pollinating them and help stretch the vase life by a few additional days.