Cosmos, Bright Lights
A shorter, bushy cosmos in gold, orange and tangerine. Grows in poor soil and flowers until frost if you keep cutting.
Growing
- 4 cm (1.5 in)
- annual
- Full sun
- After last frost
- 5 to 7 weeks before last frost
- 3 to 6 mm (1/8 to 1/4 in)
- 7 to 14 days at 20 to 24°C (68 to 75°F)
- 23 to 30 cm (9 to 12 in)
- 61 to 91 cm (24 to 36 in)
- 30 to 91 cm (12 to 36 in)
- Benefits from support
- 65 to 75 days
A shorter, sturdier cosmos than the usual pink and white kind, in gold through deep orange. It doesn't mind poor soil. Keep cutting or deadheading and it keeps flowering.
Sowing and starting
Start indoors 5 to 7 weeks before planting out, or sow outside once frost is done and the soil is above 15°C (60°F). Sowing outside is easiest.
Cover the seed 3 to 6 mm (1/8 to 1/4 in) deep and keep it damp. It comes up in 7 to 14 days at 20 to 24°C (68 to 75°F). When it has two or three sets of true leaves, pinch out the top. The plant branches and gives you more stems to cut.
Care
Space 23 to 30 cm (9 to 12 in) apart for long, straight stems, or up to 75 cm (30 in) for a bushier plant. It grows to about a metre (3 ft) and needs support in wind. Lay Hortonova netting 30 to 46 cm (12 to 18 in) above the bed. Deadhead or cut it and it flowers all summer.
When to cut
Cut when the petals have just opened but haven't flattened yet. Any later and they drop.
In the vase
When cutting a bouquet, strip any leaves that would sit under water. They turn the water murky fast. Change the water every few days for the longest lasting bouquet. As flowers fade, you can remove them and rearrange the remaining flowers.
Saving the seed
Leave a few heads to dry on the plant at the end of the season. The long, thin seeds come away easily once the head is papery.