Guide to growing garden plants - Cosmos (Cosmea)
Members of the cosmos genus are half hardy perennials or half hardy annuals.
They bloom with daisy like flowers in rich red, yellow, orange, pink or white.
They generally have stalks of about 30 to 120 cm in height (depending on species). Common names for Cosmos include Cosmea.
How to grow Cosmea (Cosmos)
If planning to grow Cosmea and other Cosmos members outdoors then the seeds should be sown out after the last frost of spring at a depth of 3mm. They prefer to grow in a sunny area of the garden that has poor soil of PH 5 to 7. if you are planning to fist grow Cosmos indoors as seedlings then they should be started off about 5 weeks before they are due to be put out in spring (following the last frost). They take about half to one and a half weeks to germinate at a temperature of about 21 to 24 degrees centigrade.
Caring for Cosmea in the garden
Once growing it is best to pinch out the growing tips of the plant when it reaches an height of about 40cm to encourage bushiness and more blooms. Cosmos requires watering in prolonged dry spells.