cosmos

Hi Susan, As far as I know cosmos are always annuals...I have them come back from their own seed every year...so it's a guessing game where they will pop up next!... they are excellent self seeders but the seed is really easy to grow...I just sow the seed I collect directly into the beds in May...being in England you will be able to do it earlier than that, I suppose. In fact you could probably sow them now and they would be in bloom mid autumn.

Hi Susan, Cosmos are annuals and you can get the large variety and the dwarf one. They do reseed themselves but you can collect the seeds from the dying flowerheads.

So when should The Cosmos Seeds be planted Ladys? :)

the birds plant mine, Jacque...lol. in late summer the goldfinches are feasting on thistles and cosmos and sometimes they like to try the echinacea...The seeds they scatter germinate the next spring! granted I'd get better results with a fresh pack of seeds every year but I like to let nature do it's thing... for this reason I have echinacea, cosmos and thistles coming up all over my garden and I'm constantly digging out or transplanting flowers which are popping up where I don't want them! Best seeder in the garden is cleome... I have transplanted a WHOLE BED of them!

Lori is right the cosmos will seed themselves in the garden if left to mature but you can also plant them in seed trays in the early spring in the greenhouse then prick them out into small pots and grow on or do about ten to a seedtray then gradually aclimatise them outside in the warmer weather and plant out in late April early May.

Hi Susan,
There is one perennial Cosmos that I know of; C. atrosanguineus, which has a fabulous chocolate smell from dark red flowers. It is a good plant but may not be perennial on heavy clay soils or colder climates. However, you can root cuttings of it each year anyway,.