Look very full. Is this early fall last year?

This is sometime in September 2009. The Marigolds and Cosmos kept blooming right up to November with the Cosmos being the last to succumb. When everything in the garden had turned brown except for spots of purple here and there the Cosmos kept my spirits up and I went out every day looking for seeds to harvest. I hate it when summer ends.

I haven't had a successful cosmo yet, seems the tallest haven't time to bloom. I try and try again. Hope to have them late season this year. :-) These would definately keep me in good spirits.

Maybe cosmos don't grow in Alaska. Have you researched them on-line?

I haven't. But I know it is just their flowering season. It is a bit long like the chrysanthemum, and our season just doesn't work. Shorter varieties come earlier but I always want these spectacular tall ones. :-) I'm starting liatris inside now to get summer blooms. We have only 3 months of growing season all together. I've seen those speckled with frost. But I've seen them around, the greenhouses stock year after year.

Greenthumb you are brave to live and garden in Alaska. But since I've never had the pleasure of being there I'll bet there's beauty like I've never seen in Indiana

We are exotic and different. :-) 24 hour sun through those summer months is something you wont see other than the arctic and antarctic. Really lovely summer.