Help! My Cosmos won't sprout

I'm pretty new to gardening, so I started with a flower that I hear is easy, hardy, and pretty much impossible to keep down. Buuuut it won't grow for me.

I have a little flower bed outside my office that was VERY sandy and was covered in weeds, so I weeded and dug in garden soil and compost to help it out. I then directly sowed some Cosmos Seashell seeds on 5/28 and covered them with about 1/4" of garden soil. I realize late May is probably a bit late for these plants, but it was a long, very COLD, wet mucky spring here in Northern Colorado, and I'm hoping I can get, at minimum, some green leafy ground cover, if not the glorious blooms I'd like. I've been trying to keep things moist in the garden bed, but the plot is in the middle of nowhere, south side of the building, and tends to bake in the afternoon.

It's only been a week, true, and maybe I'm being too impatient, but I was hoping to see SOME green sprouting by now.

Apart from going out and buying actual plants, what can I do to help my little patch of Cosmos grow?

Jess, not an expert, as this was my first year REALLY seriously growing from seed and wintersowing.

In early May (our last frost date is Memorial Day, so I was pretty early, but it was an experiment) I cleaned out a deck planter and on one side, threw a packet of zinnia seeds, on the other side, planted Cosmos. The zinnias came up within a week. The Cosmos were much later (granted, it was probably colder at the time). But dont give up. They might sprout soon. Continue to try and keep moist for the seeds to sprout. And give it a little more time.

perhaps some more experienced seed growers have added advice

Keep us updated!

Thank you, Valal. I needed the reassurance, and I will keep my fingers crossed!

(Patience is not my strong suit...)

Mine either...plant more seeds, then you'll have something else to watch for - LOL!
Zinnias seem to go fast :o)

They need warmth. Is the soil still cool and damp?

You are not too late. These, along with zinnias are heat loving plants, as noted above. I think they are sown too deep, and that it has been too cold. The catalogs say to sow them 1/16th of an inch. I toss zinnia and Cosmo seeds mixed with potting soil. I don't really cover them. Cosmo seeds do take longer to germinate then zinnias but both do best if the soil temp is abt 75*. They will germinate if the soil is a little cooler but it will take longer.

Thank you all! I took a break from gardening to go get married, and I came back to sprouts!

They're a little sporadic, and still very delicate (it looks like they sprouted yesterday) but I have little green flags in my flower bed!

Congrats...on both "big" occassions :o) !!!
Well, maybe the cosmos germination isnt THAT Big! LOL

That's funny. Congradulations on your wedding and your sprouts.