Klondike Cosmos, Sulphur Cosmos, Orange Cosmos 'Bright Lights'

The golds and oranges of 'Bright Lights' really do seem to glow in the sun. They don't mind the reflected heat from the south stone wall ...Read Morein our garden, they seldom need watered (though will last much longer if watered deeply once every 2-4 weeks), and never need fertilizing or staking. They're wonderful cut flowers, lasting just about a week in a vase.

Yes, they do reseed, but not to the point of being invasive. Seedlings are very easy to pull or relocate. IMO, the drying seedheads are so lovely and add so much interest that I never deadhead these plants. After allowing the seeds to ripen on the plant, I take up the whole plant and shake the seeds loose over gaps in the garden where perrenials or shrubs have yet to mature. The seeds will sprout here as late as November, and if plants are established before the cold set in, they'll bloom throughout the winter (frost-free).

A wonderful and super easy annual for the watewise gardener!

The blossoms on mine rather small.. It did not bloom profusely, lots of scattered blooms, but they just didn't cover the plant like other...Read More varieties of cosmos do. And the plants didn't reach a very good size or grow bushy at all. They did drop lots of seeds and I'm continually removing the volunteers.

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who gets 5 - 6ft of height from this plant. I'd had Cosmos for two years before I switched loca...Read Moretions from a part-shade spot to a full sun spot. It grew very sparsely in partial shade and only to a height of about 1 -1 1/2 feet. ..I was 'shocked' at the difference it showed in full sun. ..It grew taller than me and had very thick stalks. Also, there was continuous blooming from early summer into fall. I'm growing it again this year in a different full sun location. ..Also..it attracts Hummingbirds. ..Who knew!

In my south Ga. climate, the cosmos I started from seed grew to 6 ft tall! Hardly had any blooms at all. Bloomed sparsely to say the lea...Read Morest. Reading about drought tolerant plants lead me to believe that I watered it too much since in was planted in my butterfly garden border. I planted the seedlings in the middle of my border which, after it grew so tall and didn't bloom, ruined the whole visual effect of my border. Should I try this plant again, I'll surely plant it in it's own spot and just ignore it and only water it during extreme drought conditions. I give this report a neutral instead of a negative due to my own novice experience with this plant.