I have no advice but my cosmos has been flowering well for three weeks in my richest bed. Not sure what it says about my soil or climate. Unfortunately, I lost it to the wind. I have another one which is in a pot with compost (a mix of new and old, almost no feeding) but it also has most of the branches broken and looks horrible.
What's the point of an autumn-flowering tall plant if it can't take the wind?
Well thanks for all that information folks. I think my problem is probably they have been too well fed and watered. It is well draining soil, but I have been feeding everything around them as well. I do like the idea of having them flowering in October though, so will hold fire on digging them up.
My non flowering ones have been dispatched to the bin,after all the wind and rain they have toppled over onto plants that are doing well,and also cost more. The madly flowering ones were mainly white,but the foliage is yellowing fast now. They are such a great addition to a garden,but I will look for dwarf next year.
The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
my supposedly dwarf cosmos are blocking out light to other are as high as four feet and blocking out light to other plants who need it. Twmpted to uproot, but also keen to see if they flower later.
A Forum member passed on some cosmos seed, Sonata Dwarf mixed, if I remember rightly. They've grown nice and bushy, to about 50cm tall, in a big pot. Lots of sinle flowers, light pink, darker pink, and light pink with darker inner ring. Slightly tatty now after Storm Ellen which blew the pot over, and rolled the potless contents around all night, but more buds to open. I'll grow them again - anything which is so bomb-proof it can survive Ellen, which toppled a large tree in my garden, is worth having.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
My cosmos have been flowering since June and still going , except they're all about 18" high. I'm not doing dwarf cosmos again next year, full size ones for me...
After today's high winds they might be on their way to the compost bin anyway. Next year I will definitely go for a dwarf variety and not feed them so much. They are kind of overshadowing some lovely Dianthus and Japanese Anemones at the moment. so if they are damaged they will have signed their own fate!!
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Thanks again
The only ones that flowered were dark pink.