Cosmos
I have grown Cosmos twice before – first time I bought about 10 plants from a market near where I was working – OMG they were just adorable – I was IN LOVE so the next year I decided that I would grow them from seed and have a garden just bursting with Cosmos – like you can’t have too much of this can you… ha ha – well it was horrid – it was amazonial – it was also full of black fly all of which I could have coped with however I hardly had any flowers and when they did come I was kind of past waiting and had lost heart in them. The following year I went back to the market only to find he had sold out and didn’t have any plants left – I looked at the garden centres but to be honest they were imho very expensive for an annual plant and they didn’t look healthy either…
I then just admired other gardens where I saw them and mourned not having my own…
Roll on 2021 after getting into gardening a little more ‘seriously’ since 2020 – I am giving them another go… I have researched (watched lots of online videos and tutorials – followed lots of flowery peeps on Insta) so we will see what this year brings on the Cosmos front.
I have / am trialling different seeds from different sellers…? seed people and lets see what happens (it will be a miracle if at the end of it i can remember which seed plant was from where as some as the same seed just different seed suppliers!)
So I have…
- Purity -white.
- Sensation -carmine pink and whites.
- Sonata mixed -pink-ies and a white mix
- Purity -white
The Floral Project
- Purity
Sowing tips from Arthur Parkinson podcast with Sarah Raven (here) – Sow between April and May – prick out into 9 cm pot – fast to gow – if you don’t pinch out tend to flower within 5 weeks if you do pinch out they bush and lots of flowers for picking (Bees love these flowers)
Try to harvest own seed for next year to encourage early flowering (apparently a lot of seed is conditioned in Morocco – so it is waiting for those kinda of conditions before flowering).
Rubenza – deep red – perfect for pot as doesn’t develop huge root ball or massive bamboo cane-like stem..
Fizzy White – double or semi double
Sontana good for pots but useless for cutting…
Confidence and momnetum is a big thing about growing and they germinate quickly and look great –
More you pick the more they grow –
Arrange with mint is beautiful as mint is a lovely smell and and foliage bowls mint – ?
moroccan mint
chocolate mint
mint sauce – lots of chopped mint boiling water and half that of sugar let it cool – same amount of white wine vinegar as you added water but when COOL – good amount of salt but taste taste taste and then as serving add fresh mint as well – can swap sugar for redcurrant jelly – vinegar for lemon juice